Could a pedal prix be held at The Bend in 2021?

A pedal prix race could be held at The Bend Motorsport Park if COVID-19 restrictions remain in place throughout 2021, series organisers say.

Australian International Pedal Prix board members and about a dozen team representatives visited The Bend Motorsport Park on Thursday to assess its suitability as a venue.

Pedal prix chairman Andrew McLachlan said the organisation was keeping an open mind as it planned its next season.

“How long COVID restrictions remain in place is unknown, so it is important that future HPV (human-powered vehicle) racing events are designed with this in mind,” he said in an email newsletter.

“The Bend offers a good opportunity in this sense.

“Clearly designated and delineated pit spaces, pit lane and team parking are an excellent start.”

Pedal prix organisers will meet on October 8 to finalise their 2021 race schedule.

Mr McLachlan did not say whether or not Murray Bridge would keep its pedal prix race if current restrictions continued.

“We are aiming to produce a robust series of events which can function in the current COVID environment,” he said.

The 2020 Murray Bridge pedal prix was originally due to be held this month.

However, organisers cancelled it in July due to ongoing uncertainty about COVID-19, and to avoid the risk of spreading the virus at an event regularly attended by more than 10,000 people.

None of the five other pedal prix races scheduled for 2020 went ahead, either.

Adelaide was to have hosted two races; the others would have been in Mount Gambier, at Loxton and in Busselton, Western Australia.

While it is best known for motor sport, and will host two Supercars races during the next month, The Bend has a history with cycling, too.

Bikes became the first vehicles to make their way around the partially completed track in 2018 for Revolve 24, an endurance event.

• More information: www.ahpvss.com.

Photo: Australian International Pedal Prix.