Chris Froome with his winner's trophy on Arthurs Seat(Image credit: Jayco Herald Sun Tour)
Gracie Elvin won the Bay Cycling Classic for Orica-AIS after which the team never stopped winning over the summer(Image credit: Con Chronis)
The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race unsurprisingly takes in both the ocean and Great Ocean Road in Victoria(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The crowds were out in force all week at the Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Orica-GreenEdge riding for Simon Gerrans up Willunga Hill(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Tour Down Under takes in the South Australian coastline(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Wineries are a common sight during the Australian summer of racing(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Michael Woods had a breakout Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Australian national champion Jack Bobridge (Trek-Segafredo)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Simon Gerrans can't hide his glee at having won a second straight stage win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Giacomo Nizzolo came close at the Tour Down Under but would finish the race empty handed(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Simon Gerrans chatting with Ben Swift who he would get the better off in the sprint(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Simon Gerrans gets his second win of the Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Jay McCarthy signs on for his one stage in the ochre jersey(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Nathan Haas, feeling the heat, has an impromptu shower(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Richie Porte made it three consecutive wins on Willunga Hill(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Caleb Ewan celebrating his second stage win of the week(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Leigh Howard visibly frustrated to have missed the win in Geelong(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Cadel Evans on the post-race stage with MC David McKenzie talking about his race(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Mark Cavendish made his Data Dimension debut at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Pat Lane's face tells the tale of a long day in the breakaway(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Peter Kennaugh celebrating his Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race victory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
An Adelaide city facade(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The 1.65m Caleb Ewan tries to give 1.90m Mat Hayman a hug after his stage win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Simon Gerrans holds his fourth Tour Down Under trophy aloft(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Simon Gerrans enjoyed celebrating his fourth Tour Down Under win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Jay McCarthy, Simon Gerrans and Sergio Henao in their respective jerseys(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
How low can you go, Caleb Ewan gets his chin over the stem as he sprints to victory(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
BMC's Australian duo Richie Porte and Rohan Dennis(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Simon Gerrans on the podium having collected his first ochre jersey of the race(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Simon Gerrans thanking his teammates post-stage would be a common sight at the Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The Etixx-Quick Step team relaxed ahead of the final Tour Down Under stage(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Caleb Ewan celebrates winning the Down Under Classic despite wearing the wrong skinsuit(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Caleb Ewan thanks his teammates having won the pre-Tour Down Under criterium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The first stage of the Tour Down Under went to Caleb Ewan(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Richie Porte made his WorldTour debut for BMC at the Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Caleb Ewan in his first WorldTour leader's jersey after stage 1 of the Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Robbie McEwan and Caleb Ewan talking sprinting tactics at the Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Jay McCarthy wins the stage in a bikethrow from Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Jay McCarthy celebrates Tinkoff's first win of 2016(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The close finish to stage 3 was won by Simon Gerrans who threw his bike over the line to claim the win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Paolo Bettini was a guest of the race in 2016(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
AG2R-La Mondiale's Domenico Pozzovivo at a stage start(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Lampre-Merida's Louis Meintjes rides to sign on(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Cadel Evans joined his old BMC team for a stage start(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Adam Hansen riding at warp speed on stage 2 of the Tour Down Under(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Ochre jersey wearer Jay McCarthy was a man in demand after his Stirling stage win(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
The U23 national title was won by Chris Hamilton who went on to have a successful summer on the road(Image credit: Con Chronis)
Rohan Dennis 'finally' won the men's time trial, besting new teammate Richie Porte and Sean Lake of Avanti(Image credit: Con Chronis)
Katrin Garfoot's 2016 season started with her first Australian national title(Image credit: Con Chronis)
Caleb Ewan claimed his first elite title in the national criterium(Image credit: Con Chronis)
Jack Bobridge is all smiles on top step of the podium having won his second national title in convincing style(Image credit: Con Chronis)
The Santos Women's Tour belonged to Orica-AIS who celebrated overall victory with Katrin Garfoot(Image credit: Con Chronis)
Callum Scotson got the better of brother Miles to win the U23 national time trial title(Image credit: Con Chronis)
Sophie McKay upset the favourites to win the national criterium title(Image credit: Con Chronis)
Jesse Kerrison bounced back from the disappointing of his team folding to win the U23 criterium title(Image credit: Con Chronis)
Caleb Ewan was near untouchable at the Bay Cycling Classic(Image credit: Con Chronis)
Amanda Spratt won her second national title in early-January(Image credit: Con Chronis)
Amanda Spratt (Orica-AIS) won the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Chris Froome powering away to the win and overall(Image credit: Jayco Herald Sun Tour)
Race leader Peter Kennaugh (Team Sky)(Image credit: Jayco Herald Sun Tour)
Caleb Ewan wins stage 2 of the 2016 Jayco Herald Sun Tour(Image credit: Jayco Herald Sun Tour)
The photo finish was won by John Murphy of Unitedhealthcare(Image credit: Jayco Herald Sun Tour)
Will Clarke rides to victory(Image credit: Jayco Herald Sun Tour)
With the conclusion of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, the Australian summer of cycling is over for another year as the peloton heads back to Europe, via the middle east, for the 'traditional' season opening races. The season started down under on January 1 with the four-day Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic, followed by the Australian national championships and the Women's Santos Tour and the Tour Down Under.
The men and women's Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road followed, before the 63rd edition of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour closed out the summer.
Orica-AIS where the women's team of the summer, sweeping to success at the Mitchelton Bay Cycling Classic via Gracie Elvin, Australia nationals with Amanda Spratt winning the road race and Katrin Garfoot the time trial. The two riders would go on to also claim success at the Women's Santos Tour (Garfoot) and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road (Spratt) to make it a perfect summer of racing.
There wasn't such dominance in the men's racing with different winners of all of the races, although there were repeat stage winners across January and February.
The men's summer of racing confirmed the sprinting talent of Caleb Ewan while teammate Simon Gerrans made a winning return to from as he claimed a fourth Tour Down Under crown. Jack Bobridge's 90km solo ride to the Australian national title was regarded as one the greatest on Australian soil to start what will be one of his "biggest seasons" to date.
With the first half of the summer belonging to the Australians, Team Sky tipped the balance in favour of the foreigners as first Peter Kennaugh, then Chris Froome rode to victory in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road and Jayco Herald Sun Tour respectively.
Crowds lined the roads to watch 'Froome Zoom' at the Sun Tour as he and Sky controlled the race to claimed two stage wins, the overall, plus the team and points classifications. The final day of racing for the summer up Arthurs Seat saw fans line the roads as Froome took off on the third and final ascent of the climb to secure his first win of the season.
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With Tour Down Under race director Mike Turtur promising "some nice surprises", and Froome all but confirmed to return in 2017 for the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, the countdown has already started for next year's summer.
Click or swipe through the gallery above for the best images of the 2016 Australian summer of cycling.
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