The peloton is set to endure its hottest day of men’s WorldTour racing for the 2025 Australian summer block on the very last day of racing, with temperatures forecast to reach 38°C in Geelong at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
The men’s peloton escaped the worst of the heat at the Santos Tour Down Under in Adelaide, although Sunday’s 90km finale in central Adelaide was heading toward 37°C, it appears the nation will be turning up the dial on the temperature gauge a notch on the riders right before they return to the European winter.
The CPA issued a notice early on Saturday saying they would have President Adam Hansen and three rider representatives in Geelong in case of extreme weather conditions during the race.
However, after the organisers' race meeting held on the eve of the event, along with checks with the Bureau of Meteorology, it looks like it will be business as usual on Sunday for a race which, given the climate in the area at this time of year, has always had to be ready for high temperatures.
“Everything is looking very positive, and we're scoring very low scores as far as any risk or any impact, so it will be warm, but measures are in place,” race director Scott Sunderland told Cyclingnews on the eve of the race.
“For example, we've got the feeding zones between every 30, 40 kilometres and when we come on the laps where it would be the warmest – obviously, being in the city – we have a feeding zone every 10 kilometres, so there's plenty of opportunity for the riders to get fluids and food.
“Also, by doing these feeding zones so regularly, it minimises the necessity for riders to go to the back of the peloton to the car so that also helps improve any risk. We're very confident, and the UCI is very happy with the work that's been done and what's been put in place,” said Sunderland.
The temperature forecast of 38°C is, in fact, lower than what riders flew into from Adelaide after the Tour Down Under concluded, with the top hitting 42°C on Monday, so on top of the heat training many did before they came out there has also been a period of adjustment to the conditions, with teams generally coming to Geelong with the same group of riders that have already been racing in Adelaide.
Still, there is no question that the high temperatures will make an already solid early season 183.8km day in the saddle even more challenging.
Ice stockings and vests have already been in heavy use throughout the earlier racing but are likely to get an extreme workout at Sunday’s race, which sweeps out from Geelong, past the ocean and inland to the farms and rolling hills before returning to Geelong for four laps of a city circuit that includes the short but sharp Challambra climb – 810m at 9.8% with a maximum gradient of 22%.
