Dutch road cycling in peril due to police shortage

THE HAGUE: Next year´s Dutch road cycling races such as the Amstel Gold classic could be in peril because of a shortage of police, it was revealed on Thursday.

A large demand on the police, notably the NATO summit at the end of June, means that the Dutch parliament has suspended policing services and security arrangements for cycling events from January to August.

Dutch cycling chiefs described the situation as “disastrous”. “We will quickly look into possible solutions to allow the race to go ahead as normal,” said Flanders Classics, the organising company of the Amstel, which has been held annually since 1966 and is scheduled for April 20.

Leo van Vliet, director of the classic race won this year by Britain´s Tom Pidcock and by Slovenia´s Tadej Pogacar in 2023, expressed his frustration. Cycling is hugely popular in the largely flat Netherlands with the Dutch team Visma winning all three Grand Tours in 2023.