Arapiles event targets 2021

Organisers of an annual community charity bike ride featuring the landscape surrounding Mt Arapiles have cancelled the event.

They are instead now planning for the Arapiles Cycling Event, ACE ride, on October 2, next year.

Event spokesman and Horsham mayor Mark Radford confirmed the cancellation after the return of severe COVID-19 restrictions across Victoria last week.

“The group of volunteers who look after the event was pretty keen to now work towards next year,” he said.

“We tossed the idea around of having some sort of virtual event, but the overall thought was to rule a line through it for the moment.”

Cr Radford confirmed next year’s event would support Wimmera Against Cancer in Kids, WACK.

“That’s probably the biggest change for riders next year and will influence how we run the event,” he said.

“Every year we try to change or improve aspects to generate interest.”

Last year the ACE event attracted 109 entries from across Victoria.

The cancellation of the ACE ride raises further speculation about the prospects of the Great Victorian Bike Ride, scheduled to get underway in the Wimmera and southern Mallee between November 28 and December 6.

Bicycle Network, which runs the event, has called for people to register their interest but has held off on calling for entries.

The organisation has stated the latest tickets will go on sale this year is mid-august.

The route of this year’s ride, which in usual times would have attracted about 3000 riders, starts at Rainbow and continues through Brim, Horsham, Halls Gap and Dunkeld and finishes at Great Western.