Following an unfortunate trend for all events scheduled for 2020, the Sea Otter Classic was postponed – and now it’s cancelled. That includes the Bicycle Leadership Conference that was planned to be held just before the rescheduled Sea Otter Classic festival.
Originally scheduled for April as in past years, the 2020 Sea Otter Classic had been rescheduled for October 1-4th in hopes that the COVID-19 pandemic would be winding down by then. Clearly, that hasn’t happened, and the decision has been made to cancel the event for 2020 entirely and focus on the new date of April 15-18th of 2021 to hopefully hold the actual event once again.
In the mean time, Sea Otter has announced the Sea Otter Play Digital Bike Festival presented by Continental that will take place form September 1-20th of 2020 (ride challenges start the 1st, the actual festival will be Sept. 17-20). The virtual experience will include a virtual product expo, multiple cycling challenges, plus a fundraiser for COVID-19 relief. The event will be a coming-together of all the Sea Otter partners from Europe, Canada, and Australia.
From the Sea Otter Classic
First of all, thank you for your overwhelming support of the Sea Otter Classic. As previously noted, our management team has been preparing to host the event in October. After frequent discussions with Monterey County health officials, it has become clear that we cannot host an event that will meet our health and safety standards. This has always been our top priority. Consequently, we have decided to cancel the Sea Otter Classic scheduled for October 1-4, 2020. The Bicycle Leadership Conference is also cancelled. More information regarding the cancellation of the Sea Otter Classic and the Bicycle Leadership Conference will be available on July 17th.
While a year without Sea Otter is hard to comprehend, we knew this was a possibility. So, we’ve been developing a new event to keep us all connected. We are pleased to bring you Sea Otter Play presented by Continental! This premier immersive virtual experience will feature over 350 innovative cycling companies in a digital format. The event will include several cycling challenges, fundraising for COVID-19 relief, and cycling’s largest digital festival. Our partners from Sea Otter Europe, Sea Otter Canada, and Sea Otter Australia will join us in this inaugural event.
“As a presenting sponsor of all Sea Otter global events, Sea Otter Play represents an innovative opportunity to connect with riders around the world,” Oliver Anhuth, Global Head of Marketing for Continental Bicycle Tires.
Sea Otter Play will be held during September 2020. The ride challenges will start on September 1st and the festival will be held September 17-20. The industry response to this event has been terrific. For many sponsors and exhibitors, this will be their first opportunity to showcase their latest innovations to a global audience. We’re excited about what our September event will bring to the cycling industry and are making every effort to ensure your faith in us is rewarded with fun for you and your family.
“With new challenges come new opportunities. SRAM is excited to take part in Sea Otter Play.” David Zimberoff, vice president of marketing at SRAM.
Thank you again for your support during these challenging times. We encourage you to stay connected to our events and social channels for news and updates in the coming weeks. From all of us at the Sea Otter Classic, be safe. We look forward to hosting you digitally in September and being back with you in Monterey in April 2021!
2020 Trek UCI World Cup Waterloo & Trek CX Cup cancelled
Unfortunately, the same fate has fallen on Trek’s weekend CX festival that is usually held at their headquarters in Waterloo, WI. That means both the UCI World Cup Waterloo and Trek CX Cup have been cancelled, but will return on October 8-11, 2021.
From Trek:
2020 Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride Asheville postponed, Cedar City to run as scheduled
Highlighting how differently many states are addressing the pandemic, the Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride for Asheville has been postponed for 2021, but the BWR in Cedar City is “virtually certain to happen.” The Asheville event was originally scheduled for August 30th, and has now been rescheduled for May 14-16th, 2021. Somehow, in spite of all the other cancellations (and BWR San Diego moving to Nov. 8, 2020), BWR seems confident in their ability to host the BWR Cedar City event on October 17th, 2020.
Riders who have registered for BWR Asheville have the choice of deferring to the 2021 event, or to transfer their registration to the BWRCC in October.
