Cycling’s best back at Vic Park

MUDDY cycling action will be back at Victoria Park this month with the return of the AusCycling National Cyclo-Cross Championships.

Held from Friday 16 to Sunday 18 August, the best riders in Australia will be taking part in the event which involves many laps of a short course.

“Day two is now an internationally classified event so what you’ll find now is riders who are really highly engaged… and overall, a lot of interest from the whole cycling community,” said Kipp Kaufmann, executive general manager at AusCycling.

“That growth is what we are really excited about.”

The course features mud, grass, steep hills, and obstacles with the terrain sometimes so challenging, riders need to dismount their bike and carry it over certain sections.

From 11.30am on Saturday and Sunday there will also be kids come-and-try sessions.

“It’s really different to many of the other disciplines, you can get really close to it and it’s fun,” said Mr Kaufmann.

“It’s a bit muddy and you can get around the course really quickly and see everything that’s happening.”

Mr Kaufmann said Ballarat is the perfect place to hold the three-day event

“Ballarat is well known for putting on great cycling events and has done it across all disciplines,” he said.

What we will certainly see is people from around the country travelling to Ballarat, showing off the community in Vic Park and driving economic activity in the region.”

To find out more information visit cxnationals.com.au/ballarat.