The organisers of Rebellion Gravel, a new Irish gravel cycling weekend set to launch this August, have announced that the event will not take place this year.
Billed as "Ireland's ultimate gravel cycling weekend", Rebellion Gravel was set to bring three days of gravel riding amid the forests and countryside of Cork.
However, the 2024 launch event has now been cancelled with organisers Elite Events citing "licencing issues" as the reason behind the decision.
"Unfortunately, we have decided to postpone Rebellion Gravel for 2024," reads the organisers' statement on social media.
"We've been working tirelessly to secure the necessary licences for the event, but due to licencing issues, we are unable to proceed as planned.
We understand the disappointment of another gravel event being cancelled."
The Irish gravel calendar has seen several existing and planned new events impacted following a decision by Coillte, the Irish state forestry company, to effectively ban gravel cycling events on the land it manages.
Rebellion Gravel, which was scheduled to take place on the weekend of 23-25 August, has it seems now joined the well established Galway Gravel Grinder as casualties of the new policy.
If this is the case, it does not bode well for other gravel events set on Coillte turf. The team behind Rebellion Gravel, Kerry-based Elite Event Management, are among Ireland's most high-profile sporting events companies. Their portfolio includes the country's premier sportive, the Wicklow 200, as well as the Ring of Beara Cycle, Ride Dingle and the Quest Adventure Series.
Readers interested in the Irish gravel scene can find a well-informed summary of the current impasse with Coillte at threerockbooks.com, the website of author David Flanagan.
> Review: Cycling in Ireland: A Guide to the Best of Irish Cycling >
Meanwhile across the water in the UK, Forestry England have just launched the Forest 450 Cycle Challenge, encouraging cyclists to ride 450 miles in their nationwide network of forest trails.
Makes you wonder what exactly is going on in the minds of Coillte, does it not?
In the meantime, the hope is that Rebellion Gravel will find a way to take place next year instead.
"Please rest assured, that Rebellion isn't over!" say Elite.
"We are determined to host Rebellion Gravel in 2025."
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