On Monday it was announced that Germany’s only stage race, Bayern Rundfahrt, has been cancelled in 2016 due to a lack of funding. The decision has been described as alarming by German riders and team directors.

“The cancellation is of course very regrettable. Now there is no longer a stage race in Germany and it will be even hard to present ourselves in front of a home crowd,” 2009 winner Linus Gerdemann told radsport-news.com “[Race director]Ewald Strohmeier has done an excellent job over the years and that makes the bad news all the more surprising for me. An excellently organized race in a strong economic state and yet there is not enough financial support. This is a truly alarming sign! Then you could also safely use the Sch ... word.”

LottoNL-Jumbo sprinter Robert Wagner agreed.

“This is very, very unfortunate and sad and almost a drama,” he told the German website. “I do not know any rider who does not want to do the Bayern Rundfahrt. Everything was great: the organization, the hotel room (for us riders that is always important), the course, everything. I have only good memories of the race, especially of my stage victory in 2010 in Bayreuth. I very much hope - also for German cycling - that Ewald Strohmeier can get his race back on the feet in 2017, and I wish all good things for the whole team of the Bayern Rundfahrt.”

The decision is also a major blow for Bora-Argon 18, one of three professional teams in Germany.

“For German cycling it is a great pity that a traditional event like Bayern Rundfart has to be cancelled,” manager Ralph Denk told radsport-news.com. “For a team based in Bavaria, it is of course much sadder. In recent years, we have celebrated nice successes in this raceand have very positive memories. We had also made ambitious targets for 2016 and wanted to thank our main sponsor Bora which also has its headquarters in Bavaria, with a stage victory. I very much hope that there will be a way to organize the Bayern Rundfahrt again in 2017.”