Nicola Rutzou
Tune in this weekend to enjoy the annual Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. This year’s event marks ten years since its inaugural event in 2015.
One hundred eighty-two riders (98 men and 84 women) representing 14 men’s and 14 women’s teams will race over the weekend. With valuable UCI points up for grabs, teams will be gunning for success in the mid-week lead-in races and the ultimate reward in the road races.
Rider Preview
Welsh cyclist Geraint Thomas (INEOS Grenadiers) will ride at the beginning of a farewell season for the 2018 Tour de France champion. In his team is 2014 Road Race World Champion Michał Kwiatkowski (INEOS Grenadiers) of Poland, also a previous winner of Milan – San Remo and other one-day classics.
American superstar Chloé Dygert (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) is a two-time ITT World Champion, finished second in last year’s road race in Zurich, and is a three-time Olympic medallist on the track. She also won Stage 3 of the Women’s Tour Down Under two weeks ago.
Teammate and local Victorian hope Neve Bradbury (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) will be a crowd favourite. Bradbury finished the 2024 season as Australia’s top-ranked rider via the UCI, coming in at #10 in the world, following an impressive hilltop stage win at the 2024 Giro d’Italia and another excellent strategic performance at the Tour de Suisse.
German powerhouse team Red Bull-BORA-Hansgrohe arrives in Victoria on fire, with a former champion and wins already on the board in 2025. Reigning champion Laurence Pithie will be looking to make history with his new team this year after a photo-finish win for the then-21-year-old last January.
Joining Pithie is Aussie sprinter Sam Welsford, who will have buoyed the confidence of the squad, having found the finish line first five times in his first five races of the year – including three stages of the recent Tour Down Under, the pre-event criterium, and the Australian National Criterium title.
In the royal blue and red of FDJ–SUEZ, Swiss ace Elise Chabbey is a powerful performer capable of a one-day victory in 2025. A cross-code champion, Chabbey is not only an elite cyclist but also renowned as an Olympic kayaker and a doctor. New Zealand teammate Ally Wollaston will also be one to watch after winning the Surf Coast Classic – Women on Wednesday.
Aussie favourite Colombian Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost) will be racing for a third time at the Cadel Road Race. Chaves spent eight years on Aussie team Jayco-AlUla, attracting many Australian fans for always having a smile on his face.
The Israel–Premier Tech team also has ambitions in Geelong. Their all-Commonwealth lineup features 24-year-old Kiwi Corbin Strong, who goes from strength to strength, and Welshman Stephen Williams, who experienced a stellar 2024, which included GC wins at the Tour Down Under and the Tour of Britain while also winning the Ardennes one-day classic La Fleche Wallonne.
Joining them is 2024 Canadian Road Race Champion and four-time Grand Tour stage winner Michael Woods, who famously won the climb up Puy de Dome volcano at the 2023 Tour de France. Aussie journeyman Simon Clarke returns to Geelong for the fourth time, having finished on the Cadel’s podium twice before.
Lidl–Trek, the US-licensed team, returns with 24-year-old Kiwi Niamh Fisher-Black, who joins the team in 2025. Fisher-Black cemented herself as a contender on the world stage at last year’s Giro d’Italia, winning the hilltop finish of Stage 4. Teammate Aussie Amanda Spratt loves racing at Cadel’s. The 2016 race winner has finished on the podium three times (2019, 2020, 2023) and will guide the team with invaluable expertise.
Five-day Cycling Festival
The five-day cycling festival begins with the return of the mid-week races on Wednesday, January 29, as the world’s best female cyclists line up on the start line in Lorne for the Surf Coast Classic-Women.
Race Founder Cadel Evans was at the Geelong waterfront to welcome elite men’s and women’s riders Georg Zimmermann (Intermarché – Wanty), Lewis Askey (Groupama – FDJ), Josie Talbot (Liv Alula Jayco) and Karlijn Siwnkes (UAE Team ADQ), stating he couldn’t wait for the cycling to get underway across the Geelong, Bellarine and Surf Coast regions.
“I’m excited and nervous, but I’m overall very excited to see what the event holds this year.”
“The event is great for the community and it is always great to see the locals come out and support the teams and riders throughout the weekend as well as get involved themselves through the TAC People’s Ride and the GeelongPort Family Ride, hopefully, we get to see some great performances with the great cyclists we have competing this year.”
The 2025 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race marks ten years since the inaugural event and Australian cycling legend Cadel Evans’ last professional race. Evans expressed his gratitude for what the event has achieved since its inception and his excitement for what lies ahead.
“My last race as a professional was the first edition of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, so ten years have gone by very quickly, ten years into this chapter of my life.”
“It’s ten years for the race where I feel we are a really well established event now, but I’m also looking forward to the future, I’d like to think this is just the start.”
Event Summary
🌊 WED 29 JAN: Surf Coast Classic – Women (11:00am – 2:15pm)
🌊 THU 30 JAN: Surf Coast Classic – Men (11:00am – 2:30pm)
🙌 FRI 31 JAN: GeelongPort Family Ride (5:30pm – 7:00pm)
🚴 SAT 1 FEB: TAC People’s Ride (Starts 7:00am & 7:30am)
🏁 SAT 1 FEB:
Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Women (12:40pm – 4:40pm)
🏁 SUN 2 FEB:
Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Men (11:10am – 3:45pm)
