Australian cyclists pause to remember Jason Lowndes at national championships
RIDERS will be allowed to wear black armbands and will observe a minute’s silence before the national championship road races this weekend in memory of Jason Lowndes who died last week.
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RIDERS will be allowed to wear black armbands and will observe a minute’s silence before the national championship road races this weekend in memory of popular cyclist Jason Lowndes who died last week.
The 23-year-old had entered the national championships in Buninyong but was killed when he was hit by a car on a training ride outside of Bendigo on December 22.
Cyclists, including many of Lowndes’ friends, are planning to meet to ride a lap of the Buninyong circuit together on Thursday morning.
CA has confirmed that a minute’s silence will be held before the start of the elite men’s and women’s road races on Sunday and they would allow riders to wear armbands if they wanted.
“Some athletes might want to do other things like wear armbands, which we will allow,” CA chief executive Nick Green said.
“The industry is still in shock that someone so young and so close to them from a daily point of view can be taken so tragically.”
Lowndes finished 10th in the under-23 road race at Buninyong last year and finished sixth at the world championships.
“There will also be a cyclist-led bike ride around Buninyong again as a sign of respect to him and his family on Thursday,” Green said.
All are invited to meet at De Soza Park in Buninyong by 8.30am for a lap of the road race course before heading to a cafe.
The national championships started with the criteriums in Ballarat on Wednesday night and continue with the time trials on Friday.