Australian cycling is set to welcome a new addition in to the family, after Victorian Premier Denis Napthine and 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans launched the inaugural Great Ocean Road Race.
To be held the weekend of the 31st January to 1st February – after the conclusion of the 2015 Tour Down Under – the one-day race will cater to both the elite women and elite men’s teams.
Both Cadel Evans, supported by his BMC Racing team, and Orica-GreenEDGE will reportedly participate in the first edition.
The event has been provisionally assigned a 1.1 classification by the UCI for three years and should be part of the UCI Oceania Tour. The 1.1 ranking would allow local Continental licensed teams to participate, contrary to the World Tour status of the Tour Down Under, while limiting World Tour team participation to 50 per cent of the overall field.
Provisionally beginning and concluding in Geelong, the race’s parcours, designed by Scott Sunderland with input from Cadel Evans, will travel through Evans’ Australian home of Barwon Head. The race will also visit Thirteenth Beach, Torquay, famous surfing hot-spot Bells Beach, and the rolling hills around Moriac.
A dramatic finish along the Geelong waterfont has been planned by the race organisers, following much of the 2010 UCI Road World Championships course. Evans said the parcours is designed to ensure the race achieves longevity, sustainability and interesting racing.
Premier Napthine would not comment on exactly how much money the Victorian Government would be investing in to the event. However, according to the ABC, the government will be contributing a “modest” amount to assist with promotion.
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