The Women's World Tour has been shortened by two days after the organizers of two World Tour events in Sweden announced that the Volgorda West Sweden road race and team time trial would not take place. These two events had been a fixture on the women's calendar since 2006 and 2008, respectively.

The race was scheduled for August 19-20, the weekend after the first unified UCI World Championships in Glasgow and two days before the start of last year's six-stage Tour of Scandinavia through Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.

The organizers of the Vårgårda West Sweden made this announcement on the race's website, citing the economic downturn and increased financial demands from both the UCI and local traffic regulations that made the budget unreachable.

"After 25 years of organizing elite races at the highest level, the club has been forced to give up on continuing as Sweden's only World Tour organizer. The reasons for this are financial problems and increasing demands for a different type of organizer."

According to the organizers, the total budget is more than SEK 4 million (approximately 370,000 euros).

"Despite considerable financial support from longtime partners, especially the City of Volgorda, the Savings Bank Foundation, and Spalbanken Ring Source, the club is unable to responsibly finance the event without jeopardizing the future of the association.

"The club also sees increasing demands from the UCI in the coming years and beyond, both organizationally and financially; in 2023, the Swedish Transport Administration will apply regulations to road racing that will have a significant impact on costs."

Club president Helen Henriksson said the decision to cancel was very difficult. The race had been cancelled due to the 2020 and 2021 pandemics, but was reinstated last season and Audrey Cordon-Lago (Trek Segafredo) was named the road race winner after Marianne Vos (Jumbo Visma) was disqualified for an incorrect riding position. Trek-Segafredo was the winner of the road race. Trek-Segafredo also won the TTT.

For the time spent volunteering, the organization received less than one kroner, she said.

"The economy is a big reason, but also the demands on our organization are increasing. We have contributed to the development of women's cycling around the world in many ways.

"Women's cycling is certainly on the right track, but we do not see the potential to withstand the increasing demand and run a race of the absolute highest level on a non-profit basis. The cycling festival has been running for a quarter of a century and has put Volgorda and Western Sweden on the world map."

"We are incredibly grateful and moved by all of these efforts and forces in action over the years."

"We are very proud to be a part of this festival.