The innaugural edition of Lyon-Torino (2.1), scheduled for July 1-3, will not take place, DirectVelo informs. The ambitious project aimed to connect the French and Italian metropolis located at the foot of the Alps with a four-stage event, including a mountain time trial in a traditional "split-day" race format. However more details were never brought to life as the race silently disappeared from the UCI list during the spring without any official communication.
With several new races making their appearance on the Italian racing calendar ahead of this season, there was a careful optimism among cycling enthusiasts in the land of several iconic events spearheaded by Giro d'Italia, Milano-Sanremo, Il Lombardia, Tirreno-Adriatico and most recently joined by Strade Bianche.
And while Italy takes pride in its extensive schedule in youth categories and at the amateur/under-23 level, the middle-category has been represented rather sparsely with main block of racing centered around Il Lombardia with a range of one-day races in autumn.
That's why the early drafts of UCI calendar for 2026 season have been met with quite an excitement over the re-introduction of historical Giro di Sardegna. And while this five-day race proceeded smoothly, other new events under the patronage of ExtraGiro have not met as glorious a fate.
Has cycling calendar grown crowded?
The decision follows a series of recent cancellations by the organiser, including the Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria (1.1), which was due to take place on April 10, and the new Giro Magna Grecia (1.1), set to bring cycling to the southern Italy from April 12 to 16.
As a reminder, A-Vélo, which organizes the Tour de l'Avenir and the Tour de l'Ain, was supposed to help ExtraGiro during the first stage which was planned in France.
The cancellation also points to a broader issue. In recent seasons, it has become increasingly difficult for new races to secure a stable place on the calendar. Rising costs and a crowded schedule leave little margin for organisers to establish new events.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
- I'm picking .... .... Never mind 🫥flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment