The Women’s Surf Coast Classic will return in 2025 as part of Australia’s summer of cycling, running alongside the men’s event in a newly confirmed 1.1-ranked UCI race. Set to take place on Wednesday, 29th January, the 118km women’s event will precede the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, which has been the centrepiece of international racing in Australia since 2015.
The men’s Surf Coast Classic, scheduled for Thursday, 30th January, will cover a longer distance of 157km. Both races will act as lead-ins to the Women’s and Men’s WorldTour events on the weekend of 1st and 2nd February, respectively.
“It’s fantastic for the region and for our elite riders,” said race director Scott Sunderland, officially announcing the races. Sunderland expressed his enthusiasm for offering the same experience to international women’s teams that was well-received by the men’s teams in 2024.
The Surf Coast Classic and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race form part of a broader cycling calendar that kicks off with the Australian National Championships from 8th to 12th January. Teams then head to South Australia for the Women’s WorldTour and Men’s WorldTour races from 17th to 26th January, before crossing to Victoria for the final events of the summer season. Afterwards, the European races beckon, offering a change of climate for the riders.
In 2024, while the men’s peloton tackled the returned UCI-ranked race from Lorne to Torquay, the women contested a criterium in central Geelong. Sofia Bertizzolo claimed the top prize of €14,520, benefitting from the event’s longstanding practice of equal prize money for both the women’s and men’s fields. This year, the women will line up for a full road race on equal terms with their male counterparts.
The Surf Coast Classic route begins along the scenic coast, quickly shifting to a 10km climb inland towards Deans Marsh. After this, the men’s and women’s courses diverge, with the men’s race taking a longer loop through Barwon Downs and Forrest before both rejoin for the rolling hills of the Victorian countryside. The races then return to the coast, where a fast finish along The Esplanade in Torquay is expected to unfold.
Looking forward, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race will celebrate its 10th edition in 2025. The race returns to its traditional clockwise route, starting along the coast past the famed Bells Beach before heading inland to tackle local circuits that feature the decisive Challambra climb.
Since 2020, the women’s race has been run on the same course as the men’s, with variations in the number of laps on the final circuit. In 2025, the men will complete four loops, incorporating the Botanic Gardens, covering 184km and almost 2,000m of elevation. Meanwhile, the women’s race will consist of two laps for a total of 142km and just over 1,400m of climbing.
