The Bay Classic Series (last run as the 2023 Citroen Bay Crits) were a road cycling race held annually in and around Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, Australia. The race consisted of both a men's and a women's competition over three stages.
The men's stages were approximately one-hour criteriums (45 minutes plus 10 laps) with three sprints at 15-minute intervals. The women's stages were approximately 45-minute criteriums (30 minutes plus 10 laps) with two sprints at 15-minute intervals. Points were awarded to the first 10 riders at the finish (12, 10, 8 to 1). Additional points were awarded in the intermediate sprints to the first three places (3, 2 & 1 points) towards a separate sprint classification. A team classification was calculated from the points of the highest ranked three riders in each team of five.
Many world-class riders have previously ridden in the "Bay Classic Series", including Graeme Brown, Robbie McEwen, Mark Renshaw, Baden Cooke and Chris Sutton.
The event was founded by John Trevorrow in 1989 and was the race director throughout the series. [1]
In 2022 the Bay crits ran on the weekend of January 8-9 2022 at Eastern Gardens Geelong [2]
The final version was held in January 2023. In May 2023 the organisers announced the series would not be returning. [3]
The Bay Classic Series has been running continuously since 1989, with some exceptions:
| Year | Reason |
|---|---|
| 2021 | Not held due to the COVID 19 pandemic |
| 2018 | Not held due to a clash with the National Road Cycling Championships |
