Late January each year, sometimes extending into early February depending on the UCI WorldTour calendar. In 2026, it will be held in the week of 28 January – 1 February.
Late January each year, sometimes extending into early February depending on the UCI WorldTour calendar. In 2026, it will be held in the week of 28 January – 1 February.
Inspired by Europe’s prestigious one-day classic races, the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (CEGORR) is the first of its kind in Australia and was rapidly embraced at a local and international level as a unique competition and spectator experience.
The CEGORR is a week-long international event where spectators can get up close to the world’s best teams and elite riders competing in the Men’s and & Women’s UCI WorldTour-sanctioned events.
The action-packed cycling festival kicks off with the mid-week professional races, the Elite Women’s and Elite Men’s point-to-point race – The Surf Coast Classic.
The community is welcomed to join in the fun, with GeelongPort Family Ride on Friday night, and the TAC People’s Ride taking place on Saturday morning, followed by the Elite Women’s Road Race on Saturday afternoon, and concluding with the Elite Men’s Road Race on Sunday.
The first edition of the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race was held from 31 January – 1 February 2015.
This also marked Cadel’s final professional race. Cadel finished his career with many highlights including being a four-time Olympian, 2009 UCI Road World Champion and of course, only one of three non-Europeans to win the Tour de France General Classification, as he did in 2011.
Driving: When driving, Geelong is an easy 60-minute drive along the Princes Freeway from Melbourne. There is no designated parking for the event so it is advised to plan ahead.
Public Transport: V-Line services depart regularly to Geelong from Southern Cross Station, a scenic 60-minute journey from Melbourne’s CBD. Arriving at Geelong Station is the most practical option, as it is only a 10-minute walk to Steampacket Gardens and the Start/Finish line.
Flying: Melbourne and Geelong are serviced by two airports. Melbourne International Airport at Tullamarine is a 60-minute drive from Geelong using the connecting freeway networks. Avalon Airport, located 30 minutes to the north of Geelong’s city centre services domestic airlines Jetstar and internationally, AirAsia.
Ferry: Departing twice daily from Docklands, cruise direct to Geelong Waterfront and the finish line of the race. The 400 seater vessel has an onboard café and free wi-fi. Book online
Parking: Off-road car parks on the race route will be accessible if the road is open, however, please be aware that there may be restricted access to and from the car parks.
Please click here for further details on how to plan your journey.
The Geelong and Torquay climate in January / February can be characterised as warm to hot. Daytime temperatures will generally reach highs of 26°C (79°F), while the night temperature will drop to around 16°C (61°F).
The average daily relative humidity for January is 55% and February is around 65%, with the average monthly rainfall being approximately 30mm in January and 36mm in February. Please consult the weather forecast closer to the event for further details.
Explore our Visit page on the website for accommodation recommendations. This provides an overview of the regions along the different race routes and a link to booking.com.
We would love to hear from you! Please email the team through the Contact Us page, with your details and a brief overview of your proposal. Visit the contact us page.
You can purchase TAC People’s Ride gear through the Santini Australia website, and Event Merchandise through BikeChain.
Visit Victoria owns the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
Visit Victoria is the primary tourism and events company for the State of Victoria in Australia. We inspire people to visit Melbourne and Victoria through captivating stories and amazing events. Our purpose is to ignite and challenge any imagination.
In 2025, more than 120,000 people attended the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Read more here.
Cadel raced in the inaugural event in 2015, which marked his final professional bike race. Since Cadel’s retirement, each year he joins more than 3,000 participants in the TAC People’s Ride.
As long time supporters of equal opportunities in sport, the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race is proud to award equal prize money to both our Elite Men’s and Women’s races.
The Mapei Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Women is the first UCI Women’s WorldTour one-day race of the season.
The race first began in 2015 at the inaugural Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. It was elevated to a UCI 1.2 status in 2016, and then again to a UCI 1.1 status in 2018, before making it onto the WorldTour calendar in 2020. In 2026, the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race is part of the mandatory WorldTour calendar.
Held each year on the Saturday of the race week, the Women’s race follows the same course as the Men’s race, however rides over the famed Challambra Climb twice (where the men ride over four times).
In 2025, Scott Sunderland, Race Director for the Women’s Road Race, created a dynamic 143km course through Geelong and the Surf Coast. The race departs from the Geelong Waterfront and charges uphill inland toward Ceres and Moriac before heading southbound to Bells Beach. The course follows the Great Ocean Road, through Torquay to Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove before turning back toward Geelong and the waterfront. Turning left at Yarra Street, the women race two laps of a 10.4km loop that features the celebrated Challambra Climb, before returning to Steampacket Gardens for a thrilling finish.
In 2025, Geelong hosted 14 elite women’s teams. Ally Wollaston (FDJ Suez) from New Zealand won the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Women, backing up from her midweek win at the Surf Coast Classic.
Read more about the UCI WorldTour Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Women.
The first one-day classic of the UCI WorldTour season, the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Men produces hair-raising cycling along Australia’s most iconic coastline. Race Director Scott Sunderland designed the 171km course in consultation with Cadel Evans, keeping the early season timing in mind.
Held on the Sunday of event week, the race provides an electric finish to a fantastic week of cycling in Geelong and the Surf Coast.
In 2025, the race welcomed 14 teams. Mauro Schmid (Team Jayco Alula) of Switzerland who took the race win in 2025.
There can be a fast and sometimes windy start to the race along the exposed roadways, before technical sections including city circuits, and four times over the Challambra Climb and a downhill sprint to the finish decides the race winner.
Highlights of the race include the King of the Mountain battle, the descent off the Challambra Climb where speeds of up to 85 km/h are reached before coming through Queens Park, and the Geelong Waterfront finish.
Read more about the elite men’s road race – the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Men.
UCI stands for Union Cycliste Internationale, otherwise known as the International Cycling Union. The UCI is the world governing body for cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland.
The UCI issues racing licenses to riders and enforces disciplinary rules. The UCI also manages the classification of races and the points ranking system in various cycling disciplines including mountain biking, road and track cycling. This applies to both men and women at amateur and professional levels. The UCI also oversees the World Championships.
The UCI has a classification criterion that relates to races across all cycling disciplines. This is used to signify the importance of each race in relation to UCI points and prize money.
The ‘1.’ refers to a single-day race, while a ‘2.’ represents a stage race. The UCI WorldTour and UCI Women’s WorldTour are the highest categories of road racing on the professional calendar.
The Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Men is classified as a 1.UWT race – signifying it is a one-day race on the UCI WorldTour calendar.
The Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Women is classified as a 1.WWT race – signifying it is a one-day race on the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar.
In 2025, the Surf Coast Classic was classified as a 1.1 race – signifying it is a one-day, UCI Category 1 race (the second-tier of race category by the UCI).
The UCI WorldTour brings together the world’s greatest road races, including the biggest stage races of the sport such as the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España and one day classic races such as the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, Paris-Roubaix and the Strade Bianche.
The quality of the sporting show is guaranteed thanks to the participation of the best teams – and therefore the best riders – in UCI WorldTour events.
Three rankings (individual, teams and nations) are calculated at the end of each UCI WorldTour event and published at the end of the event.
This is the timeslot allocated to the event by the UCI. Being held in January/February makes the event the first one-day race on the men’s UCI WorldTour and the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendars each year.
Within Australia, both weekend elite races are televised live on the Seven Network.
The event is also broadcast internationally, made possible by our distribution partner, InFront. The 2020 event for example, was beamed into over 331 million households worldwide across 140 countries and territories.
The Elite Men’s and Elite Women’s Road Races are for professional teams who are invited to participate.
The Elite Men’s Road Race features Men’s UCI WorldTeams, with additional invitations extended to some UCI ProTeams, UCI Continental and the Australian and New Zealand National Teams.
The Elite Women’s Road Race features UCI Women’s WorldTeams, with additional invites extended to UCI Women’s Conti-Teams, National Road Series Teams and the Australian and New Zealand National Teams.
With some of Victoria’s most spectacular scenery as its backdrop, the race starts in Geelong and travels westward to the rolling hills around Moriac, and south toward Bells Beach, following the surf coast to Torquay, Thirteenth Beach and through Cadel’s hometown of Barwon Heads, before heading north back to a Geelong circuit with a dramatic finish on Geelong’s Waterfront.
Course details can be found here.
The proposed course was designed by former Australian professional cyclist, Scott Sunderland, in consultation with Cadel Evans.
The course includes elements of the successful 2010 UCI Road World Championships course.
Scott has been the Race Director of the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race since its inception in 2015 and is also the Race Director of the famous Tour of Flanders.
The below jerseys and awards and presented throughout each of the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Races.
The King and Queen of the Mountain Jerseys are awarded to the KOM and QOM classification winners.
The Race Director will also award the Most Combative jersey in each event.
Trophies are also awarded to the podium finishers at a presentation at the conclusion of each race.
In 2026, the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race will again host mid-week elite racing for both elite men’s and women’s teams – the Surf Coast Classic.
Kicking off festivities on Wednesday, the women’s Surf Coast Classic will see teams race from Lorne to Torquay, a 118km course tours the Otways region before finishing on The Esplanade in Torquay.
Held on the following day, the Men’s Surf Coast Classic will see the elite men’s teams race from Lorne to Torquay, a longer variation of the women’s route that covers 157km. Through the Otways and finishing with a sprint finish on The Esplanade at Torquay, Tobias Lund Andresen (Team Picnic Post NL) claimed victory in the 2025 edition of this race.
In previous years, Race Torquay took place in 2020 for both men and women, while Race Melbourne was held as a criterium race around Albert Park from 2017 to 2019.
The TAC People’s Ride is a mass participation event within the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race festival of cycling. Participants ride the same roads as the professionals and can choose from two course distances – 63km and 124km.
Exclusive to the 124km course, riders have the option of taking on the Challambra Climb or skipping the infamous hill. The 850-metre, punchy ascent also features in the Elite Men’s and Women’s Road Races where the atmosphere is unforgettable!
The ride is presented by the TAC, Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission, whose mission is to support those injured on our roads and promote road safety. Together we can ride towards a future where every journey is a safe one.
Learn more about the TAC People’s Ride here.
Riders must be over the age of 14 to participate in the 124km course, and over the age of 12 to participate in the 63km course. Ages are calculated as of event day (31/1/26).
There is no maximum age limit for riders.
Suggestions for bike choices may include road bikes, mountain bikes, city bikes, hybrid bikes and cross bikes. eBikes on all distances are allowed too, given our event is a non-competitive recreational ride.
We encourage the use of eBikes for the 63km event only, due to battery duration and inability to charge on course. Participants must ensure bikes are well maintained and fit for use in the TAC People’s Ride.
Speed groups are critically important to ensure that you have the best start possible and to minimise the amount of overtaking needed in the first part of the ride. Please help everyone’s experience by selecting the most realistic and appropriate average speed that you will complete the entire ride at. The categories are: 15-20km/h, 20-25km/h, 25-30km/h, 30-35km/h, 35+km/h.
Yes. All participants must wear an Australian Standards Certified helmet as per Victorian road rules.
The TAC People’s Ride is staged on open roads. This means that all riders must always abide by the Australian road rules. Failure to do so is at the risk of the participant and may result in the participant being removed from the ride.
For equipment, you are required to bring a puncture repair kit, spare inner tubes, a pump, rear tail light, fully charged and working mobile phone, adequate ride nutrition, and water bottles/carriers. We encourage you to wear your free rider jersey made by Santini that you receive as part of your entry to the ride.
Yes. For the safety of participants and as a courtesy of local residents, a ‘cut off’ policy does apply to the TAC People’s Ride.
While speed details are being confirmed for the 2026 TAC People’s Ride, in the past, riders have needed to maintain an average speed of 18km/hr.
Participants can choose to withdraw or transfer their entry. Participants can either receive:
Refunds will be offered until 24 December 2025, 5pm. From this point, transfers will only be available to participants who have not yet received their Rider Kit or eTicket.
Participants must notify the event organiser in writing at [email protected] prior to the dates listed above.
For full agreement details, please refer to the terms and conditions listed in the RaceRoster registration portal.
To upgrade or downgrade your distance, please visit the registration portal here or email us at [email protected].
The free GeelongPort Family Ride is a 1.6km circuit along the Geelong Waterfront, giving the whole family a memorable and safe cycling experience!
Whether it’s on three wheels or two, the GeelongPort Family Ride is suitable for all members of your family aged four and over. Pass under the official Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race Start / Finish line gantry – just like the pros! Kids love to leave their parents for dust!
GeelongPort is Australia’s most iconic brand, and is proud to join forces with Cadel Evans as the official spreads partner of the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. GeelongPort is the unique blend that Tastes Like Australia.
Learn more about the GeelongPort Family Ride here.
Entry to the GeelongPort Family Ride is free for all!
Riders must be older than four on the day of the event to ride the course.
Visit Victoria works closely with event stakeholders to ensure future editions of the Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and the TAC People’s Ride are conducted in a COVID-safe manner.