Due to adverse weather conditions caused by the so-called Beast from the East, racing had to be cancelled for some of the Wednesday and all of the Thursday. This was first time that racing had had to be cancelled since 2002, when the first day of racing was called off due to strong winds. Racing had also been cancelled in 2001, when the foot-and-mouth outbreak forced the closure of the towpath, and this was the first time that a cancellation was caused by ice since the Big Freeze of 1963. Although there was no ice on the river, compacted snow and ice had rendered the towpath extremely slippery, posing a danger to the umpires that cycle alongside the races to ensure safety. After some narrowly avoided injuries, racing was called off shortly before the M3 division on the Wednesday, and all racing was cancelled on the Thursday, followed by the cancellation of the W3 and M3 divisions on the Friday.