After two weeks of solid racing and training centered around Tour Down Under in Adelaide, the peloton has now moved on to the Victorian city of Geelong, where the final two races of the Australian summer block are set to unfold.

The CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto roster remains unchanged with Neve Bradbury, Alice Towers, Maike van der Duin, Maria Martins, Chloé Dygert and Tiffany Cromwell all lining up, feeling ready and eager to build on the momentum from their earlier successes.

Alice Towers gives insight into the team’s approach:

“I think we’re going to take the aggressive attitude we had in Adelaide and carry that forward. We showed that when we’re taking the race on like that, we can get the best out of each other and ourselves, so we’ll definitely be sticking with that same mentality here in Geelong.”

First on the agenda is the UCI 1.1 Surf Coast Classic, an upgraded version of the race that has traditionally served as a mid-week curtain raiser for the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. In 2024, the event was a 50km criterium, but for 2025, it’s ramped up to a 118km road race. This is much more in line with the men’s event and is a move that has been welcomed by many, including Tiffany Cromwell.

“The event has been called the Great Ocean Road Race, yet we only do a tiny bit. In the Surf Coast classic, we are going to get more of that Great Ocean Road vibe, starting in Lorne and then coming around to Bells Beach, so it’s a nice change. It’s also cool to have another opportunity for UCI points in a proper one-day race instead of competing in a crit just for glory, or only training here for the week.”

The race begins in the picturesque coastal town of Lorne, and right from the start, riders face the imposing Silk Hill – a climb that gives 437m of elevation in the first 10 kilometers. While the rest of the course looks appears ever so slightly downhill on paper, Tiffany sees it differently.

“The course doesn’t look like it’s that hilly, but only because the first climb is so long. It seems decent, but we’ll have to see how it’s raced. Still, I believe it will probably come down to a sprint. We go inland, where there is not a lot going on, but once we come back to the coast, there are those rollers through Bells Beach that we’ve raced on during the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. They’re not really hard, but late in the race, they can make a difference. If someone wants to make a move, that could be the place. But I’d still say it’s most likely going to come down to a sprint, with Cadel Evans going to be more of a classics style.”

Moving on to Saturday’s appointment, the UCI 1.WWT Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (CEGORR) offers its tried and tested course, albeit reverting back to a clockwise direction after two years of running counterclockwise. While the first 100 kilometres offer their own challenges, with the potential for crosswinds and aggressive action around the hilly Torquay and Bells Beach coastline, the race generally comes down to the intense 21km city circuit, accentuated by two brutal ascents of Challambra Crescent. In just over 2:30 minutes, the peloton is normally decimated on the steep 16% pitches of this 800-metre climb.

Chloé Dygert has been looking forward to returning to the CEGORR from the very outset of her recent trip to Australia.

“I did this race in 2017, so I actually went back and looked at my Training Peaks the other day. The race was only three hours and 15 minutes back then, so it’s going to be a bit longer this time. I finished ninth. Annemiek (van Vleuten) won from a breakaway, and I was third in the bunch sprint behind Kirsten Wild. So, yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. I really enjoyed the race last time.”

“The course suits me really well. And, you know, coming here with the team we have – we’re really strong, we work really well together, so I think we’ll have a solid race. We have a few options.”

HOW TO FOLLOW

The Women’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race kicks off at 12:40 PM on Saturday, February 1. It will be broadcast live from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM AEDST on 7 and 7plus in Australia, as well as on Discovery+ and Flobikes internationally.

The Surf Coast Classic for women starts at 11:00 AM local AEDT on Wednesday, January 29. This race will only have highlights available, not live coverage.

Stay up-to-date with all the action by following the races on X with the hashtag #CadelRoadRace, or via the CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto social channels.

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