Organizers of the Colorado Classic, sponsored by VF Corporation, announced Friday that the four-day race will not be held this year due to safety concerns over the COVID-19 coronavirus. The event had been scheduled for August 27-30, but organizers will instead host a virtual ride using the Zwift platform on July 29.

The event hoped to continue the race and implement a "Made for TV Streaming" model designed to address COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic health precautions, reduce public gatherings, and ensure the safety of riders, host community, and event staff. Priority was planned to be given to.

At that point, the state had not yet approved the event, but further updates on public health restrictions were expected in July.

In a press release, the organizers stated that, with new COVID-19 cases on the rise, not only in Colorado but across the U.S., after consulting with teams, riders, and all race partners, the race was cancelled to eliminate all risk of spreading COVID The decision was made that the right course of action was to cancel the race and eliminate all risks that could lead to the spread of COVID. [Lucy Diaz, CEO of RPM Events Group LLC, said, "We have great confidence in the COVID-19 mitigation plan we developed for the race and were well on our way to becoming the first professional women's bicycle race to be held in the United States since the COVID pandemic broke out.

"However, the pandemic appears to be spiking again across the United States, and after discussions with various stakeholders, we feel that the most prudent decision is to cancel the 2020 race. We will only hold the race if we believe it is a safe and healthy environment for the athletes and all stakeholders are comfortable with the race going forward. At this time, we do not have the full confidence of all stakeholders, so we will shift the axis of our energy and efforts to continuing to support the women's peloton through other initiatives"

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Colorado Classic organizers announced in late 2018 that they had opted to cancel the men's event in order to host a women-only race in 2019. They used additional funds to expand the women's race by offering a harder stage, larger prize money, and live streaming. Last year, Chloe Dygert took the overall win.

In a press release on Friday, organizers said they are now committed to supporting the #WeRide for Women fundraiser and virtual ride, and that donations will be used to benefit teams that would have participated in the race.

The fundraising effort will run from now until August 1, with all funds distributed to the teams in August. The virtual ride will be led by retired Olympic silver medalist and world champion Mari Holden.

"The campaign aims to financially support teams that would have participated in the Colorado Classic, many of whom rely on competition and prize money to make a living," the press release stated.

"Over the next two weeks, fans, industry, and sponsors can donate to the #WeRide Team Development Fund (which will be distributed directly to the women's race teams) and have the opportunity to join the teams at the July 29 Zwift ride."