www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-51977657
One of the biggest cycling events in the country has been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
About 18,000 cyclists were expected to join the Vélo Birmingham and Midlands on 21 June, taking in parts of the Black Country and Coventry.
Organisers said they would not immediately be refunding the £100 entry fees, saying they had already paid out "unrecoverable" costs.
They have yet to confirm whether entrants will be compensated in future.
In a statement posted online, organisers said the decision to cancel was made with a "heavy heart".
"We are simply unable to complete the work necessary in the next few weeks to ensure that the event could proceed safely and with minimum support from and/or disruption to local emergency services," they said.
"With an event the scale of Vélo Birmingham & Midlands, rescheduling 100 miles of road closures across seven different local authorities, in this time of crisis and strain on public services, is simply not going to be possible."
They said none of their insurance policies "cover the unprecedented circumstances" of coronavirus and had lost funds paid out upfront, as well as expected revenue from the event.
"Put plainly, refunding participant entry fees now is not something our business could absorb," the statement said.
However, it is hoped the event will be brought back for 2021, organisers added, although it is unclear whether fees will be waived for this year's entrants.
The 2017 event raised more than £2m for charity and, after a hiatus in 2018, it returned in 2019 with a radically reworked route.
Previous events attracted criticism, with some residents saying they felt "trapped" because of road closures.