Strong wind conditions at the Bathurst BMX Track cancelled the fourth round of the both the men's and women's UCI BMX Supercross World Cup on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was a tough blow for the riders representing 27 different countries, with windy conditions also forcing officials to shorten racing in the third round on Saturday.
One of the disappointed Australia riders that had to miss out on BMX racing on the Bathurst track on Sunday was Queensland youngster Izaac Kennedy.
The 19-year-old picked up a bronze at the first round of the World Cup in Shepparton last Saturday and he said it was "disappointing" not to get the chance to race at Bathurst track on Sunday.
"It's a bit of disappointment because that's two Olympic qualifiers in Bathurst cancelled because of the weather," he said.
"It was a bit disappointing that it didn't work out here, but there's still plenty of racing to go before the Olympics, plenty more World Cup rounds.
"It sucks. We don't get the chance to race here in Australia all the time, but that's how it goes sometimes."
Connor Fields was named the men's winner in a weather-shortened World Cup round on Saturday, but none of the riders even got the chance to race on Sunday.
On Saturday too, Australian Olympic hopeful Kai Sakakibara fell on the second corner of the track, treated onsite for head injuries before he was taken to Canberra Hospital by a NSW Ambulance helicopter in a critical but stable condition.
It sucks. We don't to race here in Australia all the time, but that's how it goes sometimes.
- Izaac Kennedy
Warm-up had been scheduled to take place at 2pm on Sunday for the fourth round of the World Cup, but was later delayed due to the windy conditions.
The decision to cancel the entire event was eventually made around 3pm, much to disappointment of riders and fans.
But while the decision to cancel round four was a disappointment, it made for the safety of riders, with Kennedy saying the windy conditions for airborne riders can be dangerous.
"We get blown around while we're jumping on the track," he said.
"The gusts here are pretty bad, so if one of those wind gusts come while we're jumping, it's not going to end well."
It's been the tale of the two extremes for the BMX riders, with round one and two at Shepparton last Saturday and Sunday respectively featuring some extreme heat.
"We raced there last weekend, which was really good but it was really hot, really hot," Kennedy said.
"We finished the final and then five minutes later, there was a massive downpour."
The next round of the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup will be held at Manchester, England in April.
It was announced back in October 2018 that Bathurst would host two rounds of the World Cup, the first time the city had hosted a World Cup round.
It was considered a massive coup for Bathurst Regional Council, which built the city's new $1.5 million BMX track to host the national titles in 2016.