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CCC Air Quality Racing Guidelines

In light of the recent spate of poor air quality in the ACT, and in line with CA’s release of their Air Quality Policy (https://data.cycling.org.au/sites/default/files/CA%20Air%20Quality%20Policy.pdf), CCC has settled on guidelines to assist in deciding how racing will be conducted under the clubs organisation. 

CA’s document states that where the AQI (Air Quality Index) is either Very Good (0-33) or Good (34- 66), racing can proceed without alteration. Where the AQI is Fair (67-99) or Poor (100-149), racing should be altered, postponed or cancelled. Any AQI measure over 150 should see racing suspended or cancelled. 

Measuring air quality is not straightforward, as there are many indexes that are used by different apps and sites. The measure used by CA is the US index. CCC will be using a ‘real time’ measure, rather than the ‘rolling average’ measure, as it gives a far better indication of what the air quality is like at the time of racing. The data we will be working from can be found here – http://www.canberraair.com . This site gives 10min and hourly readings. 

CCC will follow the CA Policy and will cancel all racing if the AQI is above 150 (or trending towards 150 as race time approaches). A final decision will be announced by 2:30 on race day during Criterium season via social media. 

Where the AQI is between 67 and 99, discretion will be used and races may be altered upon consultation between Race Director and Commissaire. Decisions will be made at the time of racing and may be announced with very short notice. If the AQI is between 67 and 99, athletes with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions should consider carefully their participation in racing. 

Where the air quality is between 100 and 150, it is likely that races will be shortened, cancelled or postponed at the discretion of Race Director and Commissaire and may be altered at short notice. 

Obviously, the closer it is to 150, the more likely racing will be suspended. If the air quality trend is worsening as race time approaches and is trending towards being close to or beyond 150 at the time of racing, a cancellation will be the likely outcome. We can only work with the information available to us. 

Juniors racing will follow the same pattern, although training and racing for our younger juniors will be cancelled at any AQI reading over 100, or if the trend is approaching at time of racing. Notification of cancellation will be conducted through the juniors email group no less than 4hrs before start time. 

For older juniors (U15, 17, 19), participation in any program decided on by the commissaire and race director where the AQI is between 100 and 150 is not encouraged and parental approval would be required. 

It should be noted that in addition to air quality limitations, Wednesday Criterium racing will not proceed in the case of extreme weather forecasts, or heightened fire danger where SFP and surrounding Nature Reserves are closed.