THE ever-moving landscape of the COVID-19 pandemic has already claimed most of Ballarat's major events this year and possibly into next year, but one that remains hopeful of riding into the summer sunshine is the Cycling Australia Road Nationals.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In what capacity it runs remains firmly up in the air, as concerns over rider availability, quarantine regulations and whether crowds will be able to attend to cheer on elite and clubs riders remain just some of the questions that Cycling Australia continues to work through.
A full announcement on how the Road Nationals will operate is not expected until mid-October, but contingencies are already in place for any eventuality including the possibility of moving the event until later in the season, possibly even to March.
Cycling Australia's sport general manager Kipp Kaufmann said there were a range of issues that had to be ironed out, but was hopeful the Road Nationals could be the welcome tourism boost to regional Victoria that is sorely needed right now.
"There are still so many unknowns, but we are fortunate we still have a few months left and we're working really closely with City of Ballarat and Visit Victoria to make sure we have those right," Mr Kaufmann said.
IN OTHER NEWS
"Right now the championships are looking good. Our broadcast partners are coming back, our event partners are locked in and this is the first of another three-year contract we have.
"We will have to look at whether it is held at the exact same time. But we want it to be a fantastic event to get people to come back and see Ballarat again."
Mr Kaufmann said the difference between the Road Nationals and other major events like the Tour Down Under was that the majority of competitors were domestically based, although he admitted there may be some riders that decide to remain overseas, but that would be up to individuals.
"If any had to quarantine back to Australia it's likely they will have come home for the summer, they will have come back in December," he said. "If we're still quarantining domestically in January, then we've probably got more to worry about than the event."
Mr Kaufmann said crowds would be determined on government regulations at the time. He said while the road races would easily be spread out over a 35km distance, the criterium event in Sturt Street would need to be defined closer to the date.
The other major events including the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic and Great Ocean Road Race are all still scheduled to run.
He said how the Tour Down Under will run will be determined by discussions with the South Australian government.
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.
