Rumors relating to monetary struggles had been flying for some weeks, however at this time, race director Bruce Dunn confirmed that the Joe Martin Stage Race (JMSR), the longest-held stage race in America, is not going to be held in 2024.
“After 46 years of novice stage racing, 21 years on the USA Biking skilled calendar and 9 years on the UCI worldwide calendar, we’ve needed to make the very troublesome resolution to cancel the 2024 occasion because of the rising prices of manufacturing a multi-day stage race coupled with restricted company and stakeholder sponsorship and funding,” stated Dunn.
Along with being the longest novice stage race within the nation, the Arkansas-based occasion has an esteemed professional historical past. This yr would have marked the occasion’s twenty second anniversary on the USA Biking Professional Street Tour (PRT) calendar and tenth yr on the UCI’s Americas Tour.
Earlier winners embrace Neilson Powless (EF Training–EasyPost), Tyler Williams (L39ION of Los Angeles), Robin Carpenter (Human Powered Well being), Lauren Stephens (then EF Training – Tibco-SVB), Coryn Labecki (EF Professional Biking), Ruth Winder (previously of Trek-Segafredo), Skylar Schneider (L39ION of Los Angeles) and Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM).
With its UCI 2.2 rating, JMSR was one in every of simply 4 UCI races remaining on U.S. soil and, due to this fact, a uncommon and beneficial alternative for riders to earn some coveted UCI factors.
In response to the race group, the UCI race has attracted riders from 27 nations and groups representing as many as ten nations every year.
“The world found Arkansas by bike racing,” an announcement learn, lengthy earlier than its present, self-proclaimed, standing as ‘Mountain bike capital of the world.’
Regardless of this yr’s postponement, Dunn is dedicated to bringing the race again in 2025, stating:
“With 14 months to plan for 2025, we will probably be working tirelessly to safe a top-tier line-up of sponsors. This race wouldn’t have been potential over time with out the sponsors, volunteers and others inside the Fayetteville neighborhood who’ve executed a lot and I sit up for persevering with in partnership with them sooner or later.” Dunn stated.
“The Joe Martin Stage Race was [All Sports Production’s] first occasion and began our profession in occasion manufacturing. We’ve actually been bringing the world {of professional} biking to Arkansas for over twenty years and the pathway to the Olympics, World Championships and the World Tour Groups and occasions such because the Tour de France have included the Joe Martin Stage Race.”
Skilled biking within the U.S. has been dealt massive blows lately. The Tour of California, a WorldTour occasion on each the lads’s and girls’s calendar, was the primary to announce its indefinite hiatus in 2020, adopted by the Tour of Utah worldwide males’s race and the Colorado Traditional (the remnants of the historic Coors Traditional).
The remaining UCI races within the U.S. are: Tour of the Gila, Gran Premio New York Metropolis and the Maryland Biking Traditional.
