WHILE the COVID-19 restrictions have been eased in recent weeks in South Australia, the Red Bull Velosolutions world qualifying pump track event in Mount Gambier has been called off.
It was to be the second world qualifier at the track, which was created last year, but the coronavirus restrictions have put an end to what was expected to be a huge event.
Many of the issues centre around the current outbreaks in Victoria, with around 60pc of riders last year coming from that state alone.
The pump track users group posted the bad news on social media this week, with Andrew Jones speaking to The Border Watch about the reasons and the plans which are now in place going forward.
“We have thought about having to postpone it for ages – I had a feeling it would happen,” he said.
“I spoke to Elle from Red Bull and she said they decided to call it off.
“Half the riders last time were from Victoria and they will not be able to come across.
“Red Bull, Velosolutions and council did their best to make it happen this year because there were a lot of people who would have come.”
The pump track was initially created to host a world qualifying event through Red Bull, with the deal providing two rounds in successive years.
The opening round last year was deemed a big success, with all involved enjoying the experience.
“The riders really enjoyed it,” Jones said.
“I have been tied up in the BMX and mountain bike scene and the Red Bull pump track is more like a party atmosphere, which is what Red Bull tries to promote.
“We had world Olympic qualifying riders at that event – there were some big names there.”
Last year’s event proved huge for the city of Mount Gambier, despite the short time frame to organise it.
“We only had about six weeks to organise the last one,” Jones said.
“It was such a rush and we did not really know how it was going to take off.
“The next one we really had a year to organise, but with the (coronavirus) restrictions we knew it was going to get back to about a month and we would have had to smash things out.”
In between the events the pump track has provided a safe haven for riders to enjoy, which has been well received by the wider community.
“My aim was to get the track built for the community,” Jones said.
“We had to kick the kids off in the initial COVID period because there were too many there.
“You see bikes and scooters and all ages down there.
“There was a video posted online the other day with a five or six year old out there enjoying the track, which it is good to see.
“It is a free activity too and I think in Mount Gambier we lack a bit of that.”
For now the track will continue to be used by the general community, while plans are already under way to run another world qualifier in mid-to-late 2021.
“They are toying with a few dates at the moment,” Jones said.
“We are trying to coincide with another event – the BMX track is right next door so if we can make it the same weekend as one of those events it will be a big thing for the city.
“We were trying to get a mountain bike downhill race, the Red Bull pump track and a BMX race on the same weekend, because then there would be so many people all interested in the same thing in town on that weekend.”
Jones said in the scheme of things the pump track is minor with everything else that is going on, but he accepted bike riding at the track and in general was good for mental health in the current COVID-19 climate.
“For the people involved it is important,” he said.
“But we have been doing a bit of maintenance at Marist Park on a downhill track and we have noticed the amount of kids down there would have tripled.
“We counted nearly 30 kids that we would not have seen before.
“Now they have not been playing footy or other things they have found something else to do to keep them entertained.
“It is good for them to have access to those things.”
