Warren, the president of the Warrnambool Veterans Cycling Club, said the races were closely aligned and worked to benefit each other.

The Bill Long Memorial – a 70-kilometre veterans race from Camperdown to Warrnambool – is operated by the Victorian Veterans Cycling Council.

It receives significant input from south-west volunteers.

The Standard contacted the Victorian Veterans Cycling Council on Thursday but couldn’t confirm if the race would take place alongside the Melbourne to Warrnambool in April 2019.

Warren said the Bill Long Memorial was a staple on the veterans’ cycling calendar and that it was vital for it to continue.

“It’s probably our biggest race of the year. It’s held in very high esteem and it’s an important race,” he said.

“The races complement each other well. The crowd that stays for the end of the memorial will often hang around for the classic.

“They really feed off each other.”

Warren feared for the future of the classic but said it had passionate people behind the scenes.

“I always worry one cancellation, like they’ve confirmed for 2018, may lead to more but I certainly hope that’s not the case at all,” he said.

“I know there’s a massive cost in running the race and everything but it’s a sad day for us.

“The (Warrnambool Citizens’ Road Race Committee) is certainly full of passionate people who have kept the race going.

“It has come out of the blue but there were rumblings for a while. You do worry once they cancel an event that it could be the death of it but you certainly hope not.”

More than 20 Warrnambool cyclists competed in the Bill Long Memorial this year.

It drew a field of more than 100 riders from around the state.

Warren said there was talk of another race taking place on the Sunday after the Melbourne to Warrnambool in 2018 in a bid to extend the event across the weekend.

Coburg cyclist Malcolm Cole took out the 2017 Bill Long Memorial just days after losing his brother unexpectedly.