Organisers of the L'Etape Australia cycling race "aren't sure what went wrong" after there has been community uproar about proposed road closures in Kangaroo Valley.
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The race, which was originally scheduled for November 2020, was moved to March 20, 2021 due to COVID-19.
Race director Florent Malézieux said L'Etape tried to follow their usual community consultation process, however, COVID-19 restrictions did throw a spanner in the works.
"We engage with the local council first about road closures, and we began that in September 2019," he said.
"We worked with the traffic engineer team, and once they approve it we go to the local community and explain it.
"We started community consultations in March and July of 2020. It was In the middle of COVID, so we could not hold community meetings.
"We relied on community groups like the Berry Forum, Berry Chamber of Commerce and Kangaroo Valley Chamber of Commerce.
"We cannot knock on everyone's door so we rely on key community groups, and also did a letterbox drop in October.
"Once we were in touch with the chamber, we don't double check that they send that information out."
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Kangaroo Valley resident Intan Kallus said she had heard nothing from the Kangaroo Valley chamber, and that many residents do not have letter boxes due to the rural nature of the area.
"I do not object at all to the event - it's history in the making - my biggest concern is communication and consultation," she said.
"They say they did that, but it did not happen, not with us.
"We don't want to stop the race or anything, let's do it together."
Intan said she was concerned for elderly or disabled residents who may rely on home care services for their personal care or health.
Florent said L'Etape had not been contacted by any service providers or recipients with such concerns.
"It's very difficult for us to identify a particular situation without the feedback of a community organisation," he said.
"When a professional contacts us we make sure we can work with them to find a way.
"We haven't received any inquiry about this issue."
Currently, road closures in the Valley are in place from 5.30am to 12.30pm on March 20.
Florent said that there would be times at the beginning and end of that period where roads would be open to local traffic.
"The road closure timings that are adveritsed at the moment because of legal reasons include equipment set up and pack down," he said.
"We are working on a secondary document to show when the hard closures will be, which will be shorter than what is currently advertised.
"Kangaroo Valley is currently 5.30am-12.30pm, but riders are not released from Kiama til 7am, so we will be able to allow local movements until later [than 5.30am].
"All of these documents must go through government and be approved, so it may take a few days until we can release that."
He encouraged residents with specific questions or concerns to contact L'Etape directly.
The Kangaroo Valley Chamber of Tourism and Commerce was contacted for comment.