‘Raising the bar’ in Australia – A first Surf Coast Classic for the women and a category bump in 2026

Race director Scott Sunderland prepares to wave off the riders for the women's Surf Coast Classic
Race director Scott Sunderland prepares to wave off the riders for the women's Surf Coast Classic (Image credit: Getty Images)

The COVID-19 race cancellations of 2021 and 2022 put a serious dent in the evolution and growth of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race but 2025 sees the addition of the mid-week Surf Coast Classic races for men and women before the WorldTour races at the weekend.

"But we're here today. In 2025 we have a Women's one day Surf Coast Classic and the men's so we're really, really happy." Race director Scott Sunderland said with pride after working to develop the races after the pandemic.

Simone Giuliani
Australia Editor

Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.