UPDATE, 7.25pm: Bendigo's Chloe Hosking has taken out the elite women's crown on Sturt Street.
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UPDATE, 6.30pm: West Australian Sam Welsford is your 2020 Elite Men's Criterium national champion after beating Kaden Groves and Nick White.
UPDATE, 6.10pm: We have video of some of the men in action on a wet night in Ballarat.
UPDATE, 5.30pm: "The weather's been a bit iffy this year."
Women's under 19 silver medallist Francesca Sewell was wrapped in a blanket as soon as she stepped off the podium, following a dramatic criterium race on Sturt Street.
She said it was a matter of staying positive and staying upright.
"You think, well, we're out here now, it's raining, not a lot we can do about it, so you give it the best you've got while keeping it safe," she said.
Ambulance Victoria confirmed one racer was taken to hospital with minor injuries after advertising bunting detached from a roadside barrier mid-race - the race was neutralised and restarted.
"It makes you a little bit on edge, but I had my coach on the sideline, and my parents, they said keep calm, have a drink," Sewell said.
"The girls race is pretty good with keeping each other safe and not flying into the corners, but it was a tough race, I really enjoyed it."
Earlier, the under 19 men faced the beginning of the rain, which caused several crashes on the Lydiard Street corner.
Reuben Ward, from the Fraser Coast Cycling Club, said he got caught just behind one of them.
"It was alright for the first few laps, because it was just drizzling, but coming up to the last few, probably sixth or seventh lap, there was a big crash, me and a few other guys were stuck behind it," he said.
"We ended up getting lapped, because we couldn't get back up.
"It's such a competitive field, and the speeds you're going to be travelling, with such a dangerous bottom corner, you know there's going to be plenty of crashes."
He'll take part in the road race in Buninyong tomorrow, and already knows which bits to watch out for.
"There are two technical parts, the descent where you're coming down at 60kmh and a sharp 90 degree right turn, I reckon there'll be crashes there whether it's raining or not, and another left on a roundabout in the uni," he said, as another cyclist in the under 23s slid off his bike.
Despite the bruising course and difficult weather, it's still entertaining viewing for the spectators huddled next to the Sturt Street shops - or enjoying a wine on the Golden City Hotel balcony.
Young Alistair Taylor, who rides with the Brunswick Cycling Club, was sanguine about the weather.
"It's Ballarat, what can you say," he said.
"It's good to watch, it's fast and entertaining."
The men's race is under way, while the women's race has been cut to 30 laps because of potential poor lighting.
UPDATE, 4.22pm: The women's race will be cut back to 30 laps due to possible lighting issues.
UPDATE, 4.15pm: The under-23 men's race has begun, but riders will be a bit cautious in the wet conditions.
See the video below (it might take a moment to load)
UPDATE, 4pm: Dubbo cyclist Haylee Fuller celebrates a gutsy win in the Junior Women criterium, which was delayed due to the bad conditions.
See the video below (it might take a moment to load)
UPDATE, 3.55pm: The Sturt Street hill climb, open to all ages, has been cancelled.
UPDATE, 3.30pm: The women's under-19 criterium has been restarted following a serious crash on the Sturt Street course.
It is believed the wind change caught hold of a barrier and flung it in front of one of the female riders.
Her injuries are not yet known.
Cycling Australia workers quickly removed the mesh advertising screens from the barriers to avoid the wind.
The women's race was neutralised and will be restarted with the last seven laps to go and a handicap awarded to the race leaders.
Petrichor must be one of the most terrifying things to smell when you're a professional cyclist.
Rain began falling properly just before the beginning of the under 19 men's criterium at the Cycling Australia Road National Championships, and despite commentators loudly hoping it would hold off, it remained consistent for the first 10 laps or so.
In that time, the notorious Lydiard Street hook corner saw at least half a dozen riders crash out.
Despite the warm morning, the drizzle made the course exceptionally slippery, and it didn't seem to matter what racing line one took - if they hit a bit of white paint on the road, there was a good chance they'd lose control.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW
Just before then, as the crowd slowly built along Sturt Street and filled the coffee shops, the team crits and fixies met very different conditions to last year - it was more than 40 degrees at the same time last year, which meant the vague humidity and sharp headwind was a welcome change.
Illawarra Cycle Club took out the men's 180+ masters crit just before the rain, and the newly crowned national champs said the young riders would need to be cautious.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW
Racing continues through the day - however the conditions are rapidly deteriorating.
READ MORE: RAIN HITS BALLARAT FOR CRITERIUMS
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