The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race men’s race is taking shape as the final seven Continental outfits were confirmed today, taking the field to 22 teams compared with 20 in the inaugural edition.
The seven additions include four Australian outfits in Avanti IsoWhey Sport, State of Matter/MAAP, Data #3 Cisco Racing Team p/b Scody and St. George Merida Cycling Team, plus JLT Condor p/b Mavic (GBR), Attaque Team Gusto (TPE) & Kenyan Riders Downunder (KEN).
Also confirmed to join Mark Cavendish (Team Dimension Data) and Simon Gerrans (ORICA-GreenEDGE) is all three new Australian road champions – Jack Bobridge (road race, Trek-Segafredo), Rohan Dennis (time trial, BMC Racing) and Caleb Ewan (criterium, ORICA-GreenEDGE).
Minister for Major Events, Sport and Tourism, John Eren is pleased by the increased field.
“The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race is going from strength to strength in its second year. The announcement of UCI Continental teams builds on an already impressive line-up of teams and elite cyclists participating in the event.” Minister Eren said.
“The high calibre of domestic and international participation in the race confirms its place as a world class cycling event attracting the best of the best to Victoria.
“Excitement is building for the race and we encourage everyone to travel to the stunning Geelong, Bellarine and Surf Coast regions to watch the action and cheer on their favourite team.” Minister Eren said.
The full 2016 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race field comprises of nine UCI WorldTour teams, five UCI Pro-Continental teams, seven UCI Continental teams and the Australian National Team, an increase of one UCI WorldTour team and one UCI Pro-Continental team compared with last year.