24–28
JAN 2024

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Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
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What is the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race?

Inspired by Europe’s prestigious one-day classic races, the 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 weekend-long international event where spectators can get up close to the world’s best teams and elite riders competing in the UCI WorldTour Elite Men’s Road Race and the UCI Women’s WorldTour Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race. 

The action-packed cycling festival kicks off with the GeelongPort Family Ride and the TAC People’s Ride, followed by the UCI WorldTour Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race and concludes with the UCI WorldTour Elite Men’s Road Race.

In what year was the first Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race held?

The first edition of the 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, as he did in 2011.

How do I get to Geelong?

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, enjoy a scenic 60 minutes from Melbourne 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 on board 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.

For further details, please click here

What will the weather be like for the event?

The Geelong and Torquay climate in January / February can be characterised as warm to hot. Day time 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. 

What accommodation options are available?

Explore the Visit page on the website. This provides an overview of the regions along the different race route and a link to booking.com.

How does an organisation become a partner or sponsor of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race?

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. 

Where can I buy event merchandise?

You can purchase TAC People’s Ride merchandise through the Santini Australia website.

Who owns the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race?

Visit Victoria owns the 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.

How many spectators and visitors attend the event?

In 2023, more than 100,000 people attended the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, held over four days.

Does Cadel Evans ride in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race?

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.

What is the prize money for the Elite Races?

As long time supporters of equal opportunities in sport, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race is proud to award equal prize money to both our Elite Men’s and Women’s races.

What is the UCI WorldTour Deakin University Elite Women's Road Race?

The Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race is the first UCI Women’s WorldTour one-day race of the season.

The race first began in 2015 at the inaugural 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.

Held each year on the Saturday of the race week, the UCI WorldTour Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race follows the same course as the Men’s Elite race, however rides over the famed Challambra Climb twice.

Scott Sunderland, Race Director for the Elite Women’s Road Race has 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 will race two laps of a 10.4km loop that features the celebrated Challambra Climb, before returning to Steampacket Gardens for a screaming finish.

In 2023, the race welcomed 12 elite Women’s Teams including six UCI WorldTour Teams and the Australian National Team. FDJ–Suez’ Loes Adeegest took out the race win and is now the defending champion.

The Elite Women’s Road Race is proudly sponsored by Deakin University. Deakin University offers a personalised learning experience, enhanced by an innovative digital environment. The University leads by creating opportunities to live and work in a connected, evolving world.

Read more about the UCI WorldTour Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race.

What is the UCI WorldTour Elite Men's Road Race?

The first one-day classic of the UCI WorldTour season, the elite Men’s Road Race produces hair-raising cycling along Australia’s most iconic coast line. 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 Elite Men’s Road Race provides an electric finish to a fantastic week of cycling in Geelong and the Surf Coast.

In 2023, the race welcomed 14 UCI WorldTour Teams, of which four of the top six teams in the world attended. It was Team DSM’s Marius Mayrhofer who took the race win in 2023.

There can be a fast and sometimes windy start to the race along the exposed roadways before technical sections including city circuits, four times over the Challambra Climb and an electric sprint to the finish.

Highlights of the race include the Surf Coast Sprint – a high-intensity race for Mapei Sprint Classification points in the first intermediate sprint of the day – 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.

What does UCI stand for?

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.

What is the UCI WorldTour?

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 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 all the UCI WorldTour events. All UCI World Teams will participate in all the events on this calendar.

Three rankings (individual, teams and nations) are calculated at the end of each UCI WorldTour event and published at the end of the event.

What is the UCI 1.1 Classification?

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 higher the second number, the lower the classification; so for example, the 1.1 classification for TAC Race Torquay means it is a one-day race with the highest classification.

When is the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race held?

Late January each year, sometimes extending into early February depending on the UCI WorldTour calendar. In 2024, it will be held across the week of 24-28 January.

Why is the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race held at this time of year?

This is the timeslot allocated to the event by the UCI. Being held in January makes the event the first one-day race on the men’s UCI WorldTour and the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendars each year.

Is the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race televised?

Within Australia, the Elite Men’s and Elite Women’s Road 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.

Who can participate in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race events?

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 feature 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.

What is the route of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race?

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.

Who designed the Elite Men's and Women's course?

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 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race since it’s inception in 2015 and is also the Race Director of the famous Tour of Flanders.

How many jerseys are awarded in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race?

There are 10 jerseys awarded throughout the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

The Mapei Sprint Jersey is awarded to the winner of the sprint classification, and in 2023, Taco van der Hoorn of Intermarché–Circus–Wanty won the Men’s, and Georgie Howe of Team Jacyo AlUla won the Women’s.

The Visit Victoria King and Queen of the Mountain Jersey is awarded to the KOM and QOM classification winner, and in 2023, Taco van der Hoorn of Intermarché–Circus–Wanty won the Men’s, and Loes Adegeest of FDJ-Suez won the Women’s.

The Gerry Ryan Award goes to the Best Young Rider of the race, and in 2023, Marius Mayrhofer of Team DSM won the Men’s, and Josie Nelson of Team Coop – Hitec Products won the Women’s.

Trophies are also awarded to the podium finishers at a presentation at the conclusion of each race.

Will the TAC Race Torquay return in 2024?

In 2024, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race is thrilled to feature mid-week races for both Men’s and Women’s teams, held across separate days for the first time.

Kicking off festivities on Wednesday 24 January, the Geelong Classic will follow a criterium format with the Elite Women set to race 25 laps of a 2km circuit around the Geelong Botanical Gardens and Waterfront.

The twilight race offers a small climb each lap that will make for dynamic and aggressive racing, and the circuit will offer multiple viewing locations for spectators to enjoy the action.

Held on the following day, the Surf Coast Classic will see the elite men’s teams race from Lorne to Torquay and has been granted a 1.1 classification under UCI sanctioning.

The course is a challenging 10km uphill climb from the Lorne start towards Dean Marsh townships across the 150km race, ensuring fast-paced and entertaining racing.

Click here to see the course maps for the elite men’s Surf Coast Classic.

Click here to see the course maps for the elite women’s Geelong Classic.

What is the TAC People's Ride?

What is the TAC People’s Ride?

The TAC People’s Ride is a mass participation event within the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race premier week of cycling. Participants ride the same roads as the professionals and can choose from two course distances – 59km and 113km.

Exclusive to the 113km 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.

What is the minimum age for riders?

Riders over the age of 14 on the event date are able to participate in either the 59km and 113km courses.

What is the maximum age for riders?

There is no maximum age limit for riders.

What type of bike can I ride?

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. Participants must ensure bikes are well maintained and fit for use in the TAC People’s Ride.

What are the speed group categories?

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, 21-25km/h, 26-30km/h, 31-35km/h, 36+km/h.

Do I have to wear a helmet?

Yes. All participants must wear an Australian Standards Certified helmet as per Victorian road rules.

Will I be riding on closed roads?

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.

Is there compulsory kit/equipment I am required to have?

Yes, this includes your free rider jersey made by Santini, 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.

Are there cut-off times for the TAC People's 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 2024 TAC People’s Ride, in the past, riders have needed to maintain an average speed of 18km/hr.

We would also like to advise participants of the 113km course of the TAC People’s Ride, that due to the timing of the Deakin University Elite Women’s Race on Saturday, there will be a need to shut a section of the course to allow the safe passage of the women’s elite race peloton. Exact details of this cut-off time will be provided in due course.

Can I transfer a registration or receive a refund?

Please see the below excerpt from the Participant Waiver, accepted as part of the event registration regarding cancellation, transfer and refunds.

35. All cancellations received on or prior to Friday December 15 2023 at 5:00pm AEDST will be entitled to a 75 per cent refund of monies paid and will not be entitled to receive the Rider Pack.

36. All cancellations received after December 15 2023 at 5:00pm AEDST will not be entitled to any refund whatsoever.

37. All cancellations or non-participation pursuant to clause 36 due to COVID-19 will receive 75% refund or have their registration transferred to the following year. Evidence of COVID-19 (RAT or PCR test result) is required for refund or registration transfer. The Rider will not be entitled to receive the Rider Pack.

38. If the People’s Ride is cancelled by the Event Organiser on or prior to Tuesday January 16 2024 at 5:00pm AEDST, all participants will be entitled to a full refund, less administration fee, and will be entitled to receive the Official People’s Ride jersey, if such jersey has been manufactured.

39. Other than in accordance with paragraphs 35 to 38, and subject to paragraph 41, the Rider will not be entitled to any refund whatsoever, unless otherwise determined by the Event Organiser in its absolute discretion. In particular, the Rider will not be entitled to a refund if the People’s Ride is cancelled due to extreme weather conditions.

40. Notwithstanding paragraph 39, in the case of Force Majeure, the Event Organiser may, at its absolute discretion, offer a partial or full refund to the Rider.  For the avoidance of doubt, the Event Organiser may, but is not obliged to, offer a portion or full refund to the Rider in such circumstances. For the purposes of this paragraph40, Force Majeure means a circumstance, event or cause beyond the reasonable power and control of the Event Organiser, including (to the extent it is beyond the reasonable power and control of that party) acts of God, extreme weather conditions, storm, tempest, fire, act of public enemies, civil commotion, strikes, lockouts, stoppages, restraint of labour or other similar acts, power or water shortage, or acts or omissions of any government or governmental authority.

41. The Rider acknowledges that their Registration is not transferable to other people under any circumstances. Any attempt to transfer the Rider’s Registration or to allow another person to participate under the Rider’s name may result in the Rider’s Registration being cancelled without refund.

What is the GeelongPort Family Ride?

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 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 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. GeelongPort is the unique blend that Tastes Like Australia.

Learn more about the GeelongPort Family Ride here.

How much does it cost to enter the GeelongPort Family Ride?

Entry to the GeelongPort Family Ride is free for all!

What is the minimum age for the GeelongPort Family Ride?

Riders must be older than four on the day of the event to ride the course.

What COVID-19 policies are in place?

Visit Victoria is working closely with event stakeholders to ensure future editions of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and the TAC People’s Ride is conducted in a COVID-safe manner. Safety protocols will be in place in line with government and health recommendations with the safety of our athletes, participants and fans taking top priority. More information will be provided along the way, but for further questions, please contact us here

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