April 19, 2010 – The volcanic eruption in Iceland, and resultant large ash cloud high in the atmosphere, that began on April 14 is continuing to disrupt international air travel, particularly in northern Europe, effectively grounding most air traffic there. For this reason, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper missed the funeral of Polish President, Lech Kaczynski, this past weekend.

The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano coincides with the beginning of the pro cycling season, meaning that many cyclists are having difficulty getting to events. Within Europe, cyclists are hopping trains and buses to get to places they would normally fly to. Kelly Benefit Strategies, which includes Canadians Zach Bell and David Veilleux, was unable to get to the Tro-Bro Léon (Tour of Leon) in France. There were rumours that Veilleux might race at Battenkill in upstate New York State, but he ended up at the Calbogie GP near Ottawa which he won easily.

The UCI MTB World Cup scheduled for April 23-25 in the Dalby Forest in Yorkshire could be problematic for many Canadian riders who are stuck on this side of the water including Geoff Kabush (Maxxis-Rocky Mountain), Catharine Pendrel (Luna), Emily Batty (Trek World) and more. If the eruption continues to hamper flights there are concerns that many European riders might similarly be kept away from the upcoming Amgen Tour of California from May 16-23.

No one is sure when this difficult situation will end and the financial costs to the airlines and tourism industries are mounting. According to Wikipedia, the last previous major eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, at 1,666 metres in southern Iceland, began in 1821 and lasted until 1823.