After 46 years, the Three Days of Grenoble observe meet is now not, with organisers asserting that the city’s velodrome is now not as much as customary to host the occasion.
The occasion was based in 1971 and ran up till 2014 earlier than a nine-year break. It was run as a three-day occasion in 2013 and 2014 earlier than being revived in 2023 and 2024.
Famous names together with Eddy Merckx, Felice Gimondi, Freddy Maertens, Francesco Moser, Laurent Fignon, Bradley Wiggins, and Iljo Keisse have all taken half within the November occasion through the years.
Now, it seems the 2024 occasion shall be its ultimate version. Grenoble’s Palais des Sports “now not affords the extent of ordinary adequate” for the occasion to proceed being run, Guy Chanal, head of the GC Productions firm which organises the meet, stated.
“Two years in the past we relaunched the Three Days of Grenoble after a nine-year hiatus,” Chanal stated, in keeping with L’Equipe.
“We wished to revive, collectively and with the athletes, the Palais des Sports observe with an occasion that has lengthy been a part of the sporting and cultural heritage of the town and of biking.
“Despite the success of the 2023 and 2024 editions, we’ve got reluctantly determined to now not set up the Three Days.
“High-level sport just isn’t a present like another. The Palais des Sports de Grenoble now not affords the extent of ordinary adequate for the Three Days to be held in good situations.”
Chanal stated that the entire finances to organise the Three Days was €400,000 however stated to France 3 that it misplaced cash every year.
“Every 12 months, there have been prices for restoring the observe and that prices us cash,” he stated, earlier than including that every occasion misplaced €25,000. “It was standard however not a monetary success.
“It’s an actual human story. I spent my life on this constructing. For me, it is one of the crucial stunning venues in France. I stay passionate however I can not take so many monetary dangers
“I’ve no bitterness. I hope that those that are chargeable for this venue will hear it positively: it could take funding and political will to revive the infrastructure, Chanal concluded, earlier than noting that the venue can proceed to “organise live shows, however now not sporting occasions.”
