Bushfire fears and extreme temperatures in Australia have caused the cancellation of the Surf Coast Classics.
The women's and men's one-day races, both ProSeries events, were scheduled to take place on Wednesday and Thursday in the state of Victoria, but have been called off amid heat soaring to 45°C (113°F). A fire ban is in place across all of Victoria on Tuesday.
It comes after the Tour Down Under faced extreme temperatures of over 40°C (104°F) in South Australia, forcing stage four of the men's race to be altered.
“The safety of our riders, teams, staff, volunteers and spectators remains our highest priority," race director Scott Sunderland said in a 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."
"While it’s unfortunate to cancel these two fantastic events, I’d like to acknowledge the CFA (Country Fire Authority), Victoria Police, local authorities and our event partners for their strong collaboration and timely guidance throughout this process.
"We’ll continue to work closely with emergency services and local authorities on whether it is safe and appropriate to hold an alternative event."
The sprinter-friendly Surf Coast Classics are traditional warm-up races to the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Races, the two WorldTour one-day events which finish off the Australian leg of the season.
The women's Surf Coast Classic was scheduled to be 136.5km-long, while the men's was 174.4km. Last year, the women's race was won by Ally Wollaston (FDJ-SUEZ), while the men's race saw victory for Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic PostNL).
At present, this weekend's WorldTour races remain unaffected, with temperatures dropping through the week.
