It might seem a long way off, but the opportunity is one that needs to be grabbed as soon as possible.
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The weekend confirmation that the world's leading amateur road cycling event, the Union Cycliste Internationale Gran Fondo World Championships is coming to regional Victoria in 2025 is something the City of Greater Bendigo is keen to explore.
In a year that's been dominated by so much doom and despair, the potential to grab one of the world's most prestigious cycling events and make it our own is a welcome distraction we cannot ignore.
Bendigo has long been recognised as a cycling city; one who's lifestyle, landscape and climate lends itself to the popular pastime of riding a bike.
Now we have a chance to work towards securing a truly global event that would not only provide a great backdrop for cyclists, but a significant boost to our economy and our ever expanding international reputation.
The championships should draw more than 3,200 international and interstate participants and crew to somewhere in regional Victoria.
Importantly, it will be just the third time the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships have been staged outside of Europe.
Geelong hosted the event in 2010, and while Ballarat could easily lay claim to some sort of pedigree for having hosted our own national championships for some time now, Bendigo can also claim it has a lot to offer.
Cyclists from in excess of 50 countries are predicted to generate almost $10 million for the state's economy as part of the event.
The event is forecast to deliver a $9.8 million economic benefit to the state when they roll out in September 2025.
This is not something only cyclists should be interested in being part of.
Our cycling culture and support for recreational riding is as strong as it is anywhere in regional Victoria. We have an array of outstanding venues and facilities that are more than satisfactorily complimented by the surrounding countryside many local riders get to enjoy every day of the year.
The potential for our region's economy to reap some financial rewards is not to be dismissed.
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