Due to possible injuries and damage from the storm Ciara, organizers of the Merc Plus Superprestige in Belgium have been forced to cancel all of today's races.

Organizers waited until Sunday morning to make a final decision, but after consulting with Belgian security services, they have confirmed that the race has been canceled.

The Merksplas race is a new addition to the Superprestige calendar for the 2019/2020 season, and just 24 hours after his victory in the DVV Krawatencross, Wout van Aert's (open in new tab) last this winter It was to be his last cyclo-cross race of the winter. According to his Jumbo-Visma (open in new tab) team, van Aert will soon head to a high-altitude training camp on Mount Teide to begin preparing for his return to road racing. [The Royal Belgian Meteorological Institute has issued a code yellow warning for Belgium, predicting heavy rain and winds of up to 100 km/h, and urging people to avoid unnecessary travel.

"After consultation with the security authorities, we regret that we have to cancel the Superprestige race in Merckxplus. This is to prevent the safety of our riders, supporters and organization from being compromised," race organizers confirmed via Superprestige's social media channels.

Ironically, one of the few races to be held during Storm Ciara is the unofficial Dutch Headwind Championships, in which 200 riders compete on an 8.5 km road set up on a flood control dike near Oosterschelde in the northern Netherlands. However, this event was also interrupted by too much wind.

With one race remaining in the Superprestige Series, Lawrence Sułek leads the men's elite ranking by one point over Eli Iserbyt. In the women's race, new world champion Ceylin Alvarado leads by five points over Yara Kastelain.