Date | February 1, 2026 |
Start location | Geelong |
Finish location | Geelong |
Distance | 182km |
Category | WorldTour |
Previous Winner | Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) |
Previous Edition |
Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race Information
Taking place on February 1, 2026, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race will be the second event on the calendar for the men's WorldTour, following the Tour Down Under and the first major one-day race of the season
This year is the 11th edition of the Australian race in Victoria, first held in 2015 and then moved two years later to the WorldTour.
Mauro Schmid (Jayco-AlUla) held off a chase group after a late race attack to win the 2025 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, marking the first victory for the Australian WorldTour team at its home one-day race under scorching 40C heat.
Aaron Gate (XDS Astana) won the reduced bunch dash for second place, edging out last year's winner Laurence Pithie (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) who took third.
Join Cyclingnews' coverage of the 2026 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race with race reports, results, photo galleries, news and race analysis.
Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race route
The start and finish takes place at the Geelong waterfront, located to the south-west of Melbourne. The 182km route includes more than 2,000 metres of elevation gain as it rolls past stunning scenery of the Surf Coast and takes on undulating inland farmland hills for a 21km finishing circuit back in Geelong.
The Geelong loop includes the punchy Challambra climb, which has a habit of splitting the field before riders head back toward the waterfront for the final dash to the line.
Latest Content on the Race
9 conclusions from the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Races
Analysis Weather again unpredictable but exciting races for women and men hit the mark
Simon Clarke bounces back from COVID-19 to keep Cadel Evans Race podium record intact
News ‘These young kids are just getting faster and faster so a podium … is nearly as good as a win’
No day for favourites as Michael Matthews misses out in Cadel Evans Road Race sprint
News 'It's disappointing. We came here to win, we didn't'
Michael Matthews – Good memories, cooler weather and a plan to win at debut Cadel Evans Road Race
News A return to territory where Matthews took his U23 world title as Jayco AlUla looks to find top step of Geelong WorldTour race
10 riders to watch at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Analysis Grace Brown battling dynamic Trek-Segafredo duo while men's race offers Jayco-AlUla chance of last-minute triumph
A final Australian summer sortie at the men's Cadel Evans Road Race - Preview
Preview UAE Team Emirates and Ineos Grenadiers have swept up marquee results so far, can Jayco AlUla make it their turn in Geelong?
Australia's summer racing is back - a guide to what's on down under in January 2023
Feature COVID-19 hiatus gives way to packed month of international races with Bay Crits, Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Caleb Ewan to test climbing skills at Australian Road Nationals
News Lotto Dstny rider to take on Mount Buninyong after four-year absence
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Heat on for men's Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race with top of 38°C forecast
Possible thunderstorms in the forecast for Geelong on Sunday which delivers the start-finish of the one-day WorldTour race -
'A big head-knock' - Georgia Baker recalls long battle with concussion
Australian’s form belies what she endured following a season-ending crash last year -
Maeve Plouffe lands new team after off-season 'scramble'
The glow of the Paris Games didn’t last long for the Aussie Olympian
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Neve Bradbury late withdrawal from Women's Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Illness keeps Australian contender from lining up – 'it's not the time of year to be really pushing and forcing' says sports director -
Lewis Askey rebounds from crash to target Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
'Form-wise, I'm actually going really quite well at the moment so if we put me on a parcours that really suits my abilities then there's a chance to do something quite nice' -
Luke Plapp to have surgery on wrist, not racing Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Jayco-AlUla rider 'suffering with ongoing wrist discomfort from an injury sustained in 2024'
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‘It was Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe versus the world’ – Sam Welsford’s sprinting hot streak curtailed at the Surf Coast Classic
Team looks for revenge at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race with defending champion Laurence Pithie and Finn Fisher-Black -
‘Raising the bar’ in Australia – A first Surf Coast Classic for the women and a category bump in 2026
Race director Scott Sunderland discusses the evolution of midweek races before the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race -
Retiring but not riding away – Grace Brown keeps cycling centre stage while settling back to life in Australia
Changing habits but connection with cycling remains entrenched as rider adds Cadel Evans Race ambassador role to Cyclists Alliance presidency
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The unsigned riders that made a mark this Australian summer season
From Tour Down Under mountains jersey winners Fergus Browning and Alyssa Polites to the victors at the domestic staples -
Heat, speed and a tribe of Kiwis – Five conclusions from the 2025 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Cyclingnews' Simone Giuliani covered every moment of the Australian summer of racing -
Who will capitalise on Challambra Crescent? - Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race contenders
Circuits into Geelong waterfront prove key for aggressive riders in men’s and women’s races -
The launch of a new road racing season - A guide to Australia’s 2025 sun-drenched opening block
A packed start to the year as racing rolls from a Perth Australian Championships to the Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race -
Seven conclusions from the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Pithie's prize, riders on the rise, leaving at intermission, Edwards 2.0, a midweek revival and no repeats
