2023 Le Tour de la Provence (2.Pro), France

The 2023 edition of the Tour de la Provence was cancelled.

Here is the race organizer's announcement:

Press release of THURSDAY JANUARY 19, 2023

We learned last night of the unfavorable opinion of the LNC concerning the registration of the Tour de La Provence on the UCI 2023 calendar. We take note of this decision.

For several months our teams have worked to make the Tour de La Provence a profitable event, which has enabled the CNOSF to issue a favorable opinion for the inclusion of the Tour de La Provence in the 2023 UCI calendar from 1 December. Following the opinion of the CNOSF, the FFC also issued a favorable opinion on December 23 and informed us of the conditions precedent to this registration. In a very short time, everything has been done to meet all the requirements of the cycling authorities.

Today this refusal to register the event on the calendar is a real shock.
The start of the race was to take place on February 9, i.e. in 21 days, which deprives us of the possibility of setting up a new appeal before the sports authorities. We nevertheless give ourselves the possibility of studying any legal recourse before the administrative court.

We would like to thank all our partners, the stopover towns and department 13 who have given us all their support for several months. Together we have succeeded in making the Tour de La Provence a major event in the territory, a great free popular festival expected by all, a race appreciated by sports teams and runners. A race that could count on strong popular support on the side of the roads but also in front of television, bringing together 1 million viewers each year.

With this decision the big loser today are sport and cycling. Like you, we are attached to this race and remain mobilized to return in 2024!

The UK Daily News posted this explanation for the race cancellation:

Nairo Quintana will not have a successor. The Colombian, who won last year (2022) in the general classification of the Tour de la Provence ahead of the double world champion Julian Alaphilippe, will remain at least one more year as the last winner of the event in the south-east of France. The race, which was to be held from February 9 to 12, was not included in the 2023 UCI road calendar, the French Federation (FFC) said in a press release on Wednesday.

“The conditions precedent to the inclusion of the Tour de la Provence in the 2023 UCI road calendar, established on December 21, 2022, have only been partially fulfilled by the organiser. Therefore, the FFC’s Federal Appeals Council issued a negative opinion and informed the League authorities. (NLC) and the Federation. Consequently, the Tour de la Provence cannot be registered on the 2023 UCI road calendar.specifies the note, signed jointly with the LNC.

In the evening, the organizers confirmed on social networks that the 2023 edition would not take place.

The event was at the heart of the turmoil since the authorities pointed the finger at its economic management at the end of last year. According to a document consulted by AFP, these “conditions precedent” that the organization would only have partially fulfilled would relate to the payment of 16,000 euros due to the National Cycling League no later than January 15, as well as “the presentation of a schedule validated and countersigned by the police and gendarmerie for the payment of the sums due for the years 2021 and 2022 up to 139,996.83 euros”.

Classified in the UCI Pro Series (the second level of cycling behind the World Tour) since 2020, the Tour de la Provence was to start from Martigues with a prologue on February 9 to end in the town of Arles on February 12.

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