WITHIN moments of opening registration, Ballarat Cycle Classic had signed up a bunch of riders from New South Wales to get moving.
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The annual Cycle Classic launched on Friday confirming a return to one of the city's biggest mass participation events with on-site action raising money for Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute.
A half-marathon and virtual ride on the nationals course are additions to the program on February 21.
FECRI honourary director George Kannourakis said dedicated running events was a chance to pick up runners who had been starved of events the past year - just as the cyclists from New South Wales had shown.
Professor Kannourakis was also confident such enthusiasm would also help surpass the event's $300,000 effort of last summer, that enabled FECRI to fully-launch a new breast cancer research program.
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"The thing I love is this is a family event and there is something for serious cyclists and runners," he said. "If you're not a cyclist, you can bike or walk around the lake, there is mountain biking and virtual riding."
Virtual rides rose to prominence during lockdowns. Ballarat Cycle Classic has partnered with cycle app-maker FuzGal to offer participants a free 14-day window to tackle the Buninyong nationals course.
The Spud100, a 160-kilometre endurance ride, remains a key fixture on the program. Spud100 is set for its second start in memory of long-time Classic ambassador and AFL great Danny Frawley.
A half-marathon and 16-kilometre run will take the Classic's running to the next level. Both runs set out from the lake down Mair Street and Scott Parade to turn at Water Street and travel back up Victoria and Sturt streets before taking in Lake Wendouree to the finish.
Run numbers will be capped due to limited road closures.
Ballarat Cycle Classic was one of the last major events in Ballarat before the pandemic took effect on the city. The event's confirmed return on February 21 shapes up a big month for Ballarat with Beer Fest and the later-than-usual AusCycling Road National Championships locked in.
The Classic is the major fundraiser for Ballarat's homegrown FECRI, which is Australia's only regional cancer research centre. Every cent in registrations will contribute to the institute's work on a wide range of cancers.
"It's important we focus on continuing to find proteins on cancer cells that are evading the immune system by creating a fog," Professor Kannourakis said. "Any protein we identify can help with all cancers so patients no longer need to be treated with chemotherapy and radiation."
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