Australia will not be crowned cyclocross champion for the second year in a row, and after two schedule changes, the 2021 race for the green and gold jersey has been cancelled. This decision was made after it became clear that riders would continue to be restricted.

The event was originally scheduled to take place in Broadford, Victoria, near the end of the national cyclocross season in August, but due to a lockdown in the state to control the number of COVID-19 cases, the event was moved to October 17 and Creswick was changed to Creswick. With the extended lockdown of the state capital, Melbourne, and continued restrictions on rallies in other states, the event was again moved to November 27-28, extending the season to near the end of spring in the southern hemisphere.

Now that Victoria has opened up and regulations have been relaxed due to increased immunization levels, the cyclocross event will be held in the former gold mining town of Creswick, but the problem remains that many riders from across the country cannot attend. Travelers from most Australian states and territories to Victoria face restrictions and quarantine requirements primarily on the return journey, as southern Victoria has thousands of COVID-19 cases, while coronaviruses are largely undetectable in many parts of the country.

"Due to the inability of members from all states and territories to participate, Corporate Cycling and Voga Cycling have decided to cancel the weekend's national championship," Aust Cycling said in a statement.

"However, the green and gold jerseys will not be up for grabs, but everyone in and around Melbourne is encouraged to get on their bikes and support the Cross4aCause cyclocross event to raise funds for MND (motor neurone disease) Victoria Recommended.

The cycling calendar in Australia has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because while the number of infected people in the country is relatively low by international standards, the border restrictions, lockdowns, and assembly restrictions in place to maintain that status are taking a toll on events.

The Tour Down Under and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race have been removed from the international race calendar for two consecutive years, many events in the National Road Series have been postponed or cancelled, and in 2021 the Only the opening weekend of the National Cyclocross Series was held. In Victoria and New South Wales/Australian Capital Territory, the season had barely begun before the number of COVID-19 cases increased in both states and travel restrictions were implemented.

"We appreciate that it has been a challenging year and look forward to the 2022 CX calendar," AusCycling said.

The last time the Australian Cyclocross Championships were held in 2019, Chris Yongeward won his fifth national title and Peta Mullens finished second on the muddy grounds of a winery in Victoria's King Valley.

Australia and New Zealand typically produce the first national cyclocross champion of the season, as winter ends in August in the southern hemisphere and the cyclocross season ends just as the international event calendar begins. New Zealand held its national championships this August, just before the entire country went on lockdown, with Kate McIlroy winning her second women's title and 20-year-old Josh Barnett winning his first on a borrowed bike.