The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race returns in 2023 after a two-year absence and will provide WorldTour one-day races for elite women and elite men. The women will race on Saturday, January 28, with the men competing on Sunday, January 29.
The elite men’s course features 176 kilometres of rolling terrain across scenic roads of Victoria. The flag drops at 11:10 a.m. local time for the start at Steampacket Gardens in Geelong, on the Stingaree Bay waterfront. The peloton heads south crossing the Barwon River and begin to roll over the first hills at the historic township of Ceres then to Moriac to complete the first 20km from city streets to farmland.
Another 30km leads back to the coastline, this time passing the famous Bells Beach and close to Torquay, where spectators will be encouraged to cheer for the peloton along The Esplanade rather than watch the surfers. Strong crosswinds could feature on the straight stretch toward Barwon Heads, the home base for Evans and where the riders will begin the second half of the race.
After crossing the Barwon Heads Bridge, the riders run inland from Ocean Grove through the Bellarine Peninsula and back to Geelong, where the final 68km will be contested across four laps on a finishing circuit. Each lap includes the climb of Challambra Crescent.
Once crossing the KOM line on Challambra Crescent, the riders descend Scenic Road into Queens Park. They have to negotiate a left turn and climb of Melville Avenue to connect Minerva Road and Church Street to the finish line. Using the climb to Highton via Barwon Boulevard and Challambra Crescent, organisers have used part of the course from the 2010 UCI Road World Championships.
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Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.
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