Cash cuts put brakes on Eastbourne cycling event

The Eastbourne Cycling Festival has been running for the last seven years but organiser Velopace has said there was no funding either from Eastbourne council or its main sponsor this year.

A spokesperson said, “The cost of securing the closed road circuit, the focal point of the event, previously has been met by contributions from the council and the event’s main sponsor. This funding is no longer available for 2018.

“With both these decisions coming in late December 2017, this has left little time to seek alternative funding, and without this guarantee, Velopace cannot commit to staging the cycling festival in its current form.

“Velopace will continue to seek out other interested parties to try to find a viable way of staging the event in future.”