Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - Women 2026

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Date

Saturday, January 31, 2026

Start location

Geelong

Finish location

Geelong

Distance

141km

Category

Women's WorldTour

Previous winner

Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez)

Previous edition

2025 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - Women

GEELONG, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 31: Ally Wollaston of New Zealand and Team FDJ United - SUEZ celebrates at podium as race winner with Ex-professional cyclist, Cadel Evans during the 10th Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race 2026, Women's Elite a 141.2km one day race from Geelong to Geelong / #UCIWWT / on January 31, 2026 in Geelong, Australia. (Photo by Con Chronis/Getty Images)

Ally Wollaston receives the 2026 trophy for winning Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (Image credit: Getty Images)

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race Women overview

The Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race – Women took place January 31, once again the first one-day race of the Women’s WorldTour, following on from the Santos Tour Down Under stage race in South Australia.

The Victorian race was first held in 2015 and was added to the Women’s WorldTour calendar in 2020.

Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) won in 2025, from a reduced bunch sprint in Geelong, claiming her first one-day WorldTour victory. Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) was second and Noemi Rüegg (EF Education-Oatly) took third place on the day.

And it was again Wollaston who took the crown in 2026, the podium completed by Josie Nelson (Picnic–PostNL) in second and Mireia Benito (AG Insurance–Soudal) in third.

The 141km course of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race went through the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast, with the decisive Challambra Crescent climb and a fast finish on the Geelong waterfront.

The race offers equal prize money and prestige to the men's race, with the new WorldTour participation rules ensuring the top teams and riders from around the globe will be in action.

Join Cyclingnews' coverage of the 2026 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - Women with race reports, results, photo galleries, news and race analysis.

Stephen Farrand
Stephen Farrand
Editor-at-large

Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).

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