February 27, 2009 – The Tour de Kootenays, only one of three UCI America Tour races in Canada, has been cancelled in its early planning stages because of too many hurdles placed in the organizer’s path by the Ministry of Transportation, reports the Castlegar News.

The two-day UCI race, which was scheduled for July 4-5 in B.C.’s scenic Kootenay Valley, was an exciting prospect for Canadian riders to earn valuable UCI points, which count towards qualifying for the sport’s biggest events such as the Road World Championships and major events.

Bob Hennessy, executive director of the Tour de Kootenays, said that some of the logistical demands from the Nelson office of the B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s (MoTI) were much too costly and even against UCI regulations. He also believes some members of the MoTI had purposely arranged these organizational roadblocks because they believe the event will cause too much traffic congestion on Highway 6.

Read the full Castlegar News article here.