Hammer Cyclothon officially cancelled but organisers will try to bring back the world class cycling series next year
- Sixteen teams had been lined up to take part in the Hong Kong Cyclothon but non-stop civil unrest forces organisers to cancel
- Officials hope it will not tarnish Hong Kong’s reputation as Asia’s event capital
Organisers will try to bring back the popular Hammer Series to Hong Kong next year after the Tourism Board formally announced on Thursday that they would call off the event due to the recent social unrest.
Featuring world tour teams to showcase top quality cyclists, the Hammer Series is part of the annual Hong Kong Cyclothon, which was scheduled for Sunday, October 13 on Tsim Sha Tsui East promenade. Two other races of 30 and 50 kilometres were also set to take place on the same morning passing through major landmarks such as Tsing Ma Bridge and Ting Kau Bridge.
The Tourism Board said it was a difficult decision, although they had explored the chance of postponing the event, “but since it is now the end of the season for international cycling races, most top-class cyclists will soon be taking a season break,” a statement from the Board said.
The 2019 Hammer Series features 16 teams, including 12 world tour teams and four ProContinental teams. After racing in Stavanger, Norway in May and Limburg, Netherlands later, the Hong Kong leg was supposed to decide the overall champion this year. The teams are then expected to be travelling to China for the Tour of Guangxi, part of the UCI world tour.
“We feel sorry that we will not be having the event this year as it’s an excellent opportunity for Hong Kong fans to watch top riders in front of them,” said Cycling Association chairman Leung Hung-tak. “We understand the situation in Hong Kong in recent months has made things difficult for staging outdoor sporting events and we hope the situation can improve in the near future and will not tarnish Hong Kong’s reputation as Asia’s event capital.”
The Tourism Board said they had already started discussions with organisers of the Hammer Series to bring the event as part of next year’s Hong Kong Cyclothon. Those who have joined the two local races will have their entry fee fully refunded.
“All Hong Kong Cyclothon participants will get a full refund of their enrolment fee by the end of November 2019,” said the Board. “In addition, they will enjoy a 20 per cent discount on the enrolment fee if they join the event next year.”
About 4,000 cyclists entered the two events.
Last year, 11 world tour teams and three ProContinental teams competed in the Hong Kong series, headed by Tour de France and Giro d’Italia runner-up Tom Dumoulin, of the Netherlands.
