The Squawker Classic has hit the brake levers for 2020.
The cycling event hosted by the Fort Lewis College cycling team was scheduled for April 25-26 in Durango but has now been canceled because of COVID-19.
“Skyhawks fans, yes, as you could have expected, the Squawker Road Classic will be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic regulations put in place by the state of (Colorado) and city of Durango,” FLC cycling announced in a post to Twitter. “We all have to get rid of it together so let’s get it done.”
The Squawker Classic is an event on the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference calendar. Now, all spring RMCCC races have been canceled in an effort to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. Along with the Squawker Classic, the entire collegiate BMX spring season has been canceled.
Those announcements came as USA Cycling announced it would suspend all issued permits for sanctioned events through May 3. The Squawker Classic isn’t only a collegiate road race, there are USA Cycling categories for racers of various age groups.
“We are calling on all event directors, clubs, coaches, athletes and members to follow the guidelines and regulations issued by national, state and local authorities,” USA Cycling said in a news release. “This includes foregoing gatherings such as group rides, in-person team meetings and any other group or team activities where people assemble.”
With that news, the Whiskey Off-Road mountain bike event scheduled for April 24-26 in Prescott, Arizona, was postponed with no date yet set to make it up. Epic Rides series president Todd Sadow indicated a date in early fall of 2020 is likely.
FLC cycling senior Ellen Campbell of Durango said the news of all the cancellations have not fully hit her. She made a late decision to race the road this year and now wonders if her final time racing in a Skyhawks jersey came at cyclo-cross nationals in December.
Many of the FLC riders have left Durango and gone home with the news college classes will be conducted online for the remainder of the school year.
“It doesn’t feel like you have an opportunity to breathe because of how uncertain everything is,” Campbell said. “Not a lot of the team is here right now with so many going home to be with families to stay safe and healthy. Not having group rides or any travel, it’s starting to set in that we’re not going to be able to do another race together. To not be able to come together and race with Tristen Musselman or Charlotte Backus, the girls I’ve been racing with since my freshman year, it’s going to be really sad. Group rides are a special time with people who become your family.”
A decision on USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships scheduled for May 8-10 in Augusta, Georgia, has not yet been made. Campbell said it would be a miracle if that race happened.
“The way things are going, I don’t think it’s going to happen. It would be a really big challenge for a lot of the teams to pull off because of a lack of preparation on the road side,” Campbell said. “You have to learn to ride and work with team members. If you don’t get that practice, it’s really hard to pull off an effective race and try to win or make good moves. It would be a big challenge to pull off a decent race at nationals. I don’t think it’s going to happen, but we can hope.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
