Organisers of the 1.Pro-ranked Surf Coast Classics said on Tuesday that both the women's and men's events, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday respectively, would be cancelled given the evolving bushfire and weather situation in the area.
The mid-week run-up races to the weekend's Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race had already faced alterations. The start for both was initially moved to the finish location of Torquay on Monday, and the event was set to run on a course looping north instead, given that warnings foreshadowing the advice to evacuate due to the fire in the Otways region were already impacting communities on the original planned course.
On Tuesday afternoon, with extreme fire conditions and temperatures soaring toward 45°C, the announcement was made that the changes would need to go beyond route alterations.
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Organisers said that the move to cancel both events was due to heightened bushfire risk, rapidly changing and unpredictable weather conditions, the need to keep evacuation routes clear and the requirement for Victoria Police and emergency services resources to remain focused on supporting impacted communities.
“The safety of our riders, teams, staff, volunteers and spectators remains our highest priority," said race director Scott Sunderland in a media statement.
“Given the bushfire situation across the region and the advice from Victoria Police and emergency services, the safest and most responsible decision in the conditions is to cancel the races scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday."
There are, however, ongoing discussions to explore alternative options for Thursday.
“While it’s unfortunate to cancel these two fantastic events, I’d like to acknowledge the CFA, Victoria Police, local authorities and our event partners for their strong collaboration and timely guidance throughout this process," said Sunderland.
“We’ll continue to work closely with emergency services and local authorities on whether it is safe and appropriate to hold an alternative event.”
Organisers also added that planning for the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Races this weekend was "proceeding with no identified impacts at this time".
The intense heat and extreme fire rating of Tuesday will be easing in the region of the race through the rest of the week, with maximum temperature forecasts for Geelong dropping into the 20s. The current forecast for Saturday's Women's WorldTour-ranked Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race is 27°C, and for Sunday's World Tour men's race it is an unusually cool 21°C.
The peloton, which travelled over from South Australia's Santos Tour Down Under, has already faced a race disruption due to the heat and fire risk, with the triple ascent of Willunga Hill removed from the penultimate stage of the men's race amid extreme fire conditions and with maximum temperatures tipping over 40°C.
