ONE of Bendigo\u2019s top athletic events will make its return next year.<\/p>\n
The Bendigo International Madison is in its early planning stages, with the carnival scheduled for its traditional Labour Day weekend, from 11 to 12 March 2022.<\/p>\n
Secretary of the Bendigo International Madison committee Rik McCaig said it\u2019ll be exciting to finally see the 50th iteration of the event.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very disappointing last year to not be able to hold the event,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a good chat and we believe that we can make the event happen in 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr McCaig said the Madison is currently a tier 2 event, meaning the Tom Flood Sports Centre can be at 75 per cent crowd capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a number of months before the event\u2019s on, hopefully the way things are going there should be some changes to that as well. We\u2019re hoping we might be close to a full crowd for our event,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While the race usually attracts riders from all over the world, Mr McCaig said next year\u2019s Madison will have a more local flavour due to the challenges of international travel.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to focus on Australian and hopefully New Zealand competitors, we\u2019re not seeking internationals at this stage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got enough depth and talent in Australia that we can put together a good field in both the male and female Madison, plus all our supporting events as well. It\u2019s still going to be a highly competitive field.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Madison sees teams racing and sprinting over 200 laps of the track, with plenty of action over the entirety of the event.<\/p>\n