Amy’s Gran Fondo gets one more year in Apollo Bay

AMY’S Gran Fondo will go ahead in the Colac Otway Shire this year, but the council does not want it back for at least the following two years and potentially never again.

Councillors received the review of the 2017 event, carried out by shire officers, at their January 24 meeting.

According to the review, more than half of all respondents were unhappy with last year’s edition of the annual cycling carnival organised by the Amy Gillett Foundation in Apollo Bay – 59 per cent were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the event’s impacts/benefits, and 53 per cent were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the overall benefit to the Colac Otway Shire/Great Ocean Road region.

Following this negative public feedback, the council considered a notice of motion in a closed session on December 13, resolving to instruct the chief executive officer to “take all reasonable steps” to ensure Amy’s Gran Fondo was not held in the shire in 2019 or 2020 calendar years.

The notice of motion also “noted with concern that the economic assessment does not consider the loss of considerable business trade and inconvenience the event has caused the Colac Otway businesses and ratepayers as reflected by the Colac Otway community’s feedback about the 2016 event.”

However, the shire will support the event being held this year.

Colac Otway mayor Joe McCracken said the council was mindful of the arrangements the Amy Gillet Foundation would have in place for the 2018 cycling event.

“As we’re already at the end of January, we understand event organisers would be well-advanced with their logistical and sponsorship arrangements for the 2018 Amy’s Gran Fondo in September.

“Council are extremely keen to work with Amy’s Gran Fondo organisers to provide an event which meets expectations of event participants, visitors and the Apollo Bay community.”