Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race 2022: everything you need to know

Where: Australia

When: N/A in 2022

Rank: UCI WorldTour (Men and Women)

Once again the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Australia won't be a part of the WorldTour in 2022, with the event cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Organisers are hopeful that the event will return in January 2023 though, along with the Tour Down Under. 

Both the men's and women's races received WorldTour status in 2017, two years after the inaugural events in 2015 - won by Gianni Meersman and Rachel Neylan.

In the last race in 2020, the men's win went to Dries Devenyns (Deceuninck-Quick-Step) who took victory in a two-up sprint ahead Russian youngster Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers).

The women's race went to Liane Lippert (Team Sunweb) who held off a chasing group of three including 2019 winner Arlenis Sierra (Astana).

Named after 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans, the first race in 2015 was held as a farewell event for the Australian rider in his final professional season.

The course takes inspiration from the European Spring Classics, just in a hotter climate, and was designed with creating a heavy attacking race in mind. 

Starting and finishing at the Geelong Waterfront, the men's route covered 171km in February 2020, while the women's race completed 121km. 

The riders pass through Cadel Evans' hometown of Barwon Heads on the route, with flat but exposed roads followed by undulating climbs, technical sections and the testing slopes of the Challambra climb. 

2018 was the first that the women's race crested the Challambra climb, and the men's course saw riders ascend the climb four times. The finish at the Waterfront is fast - but the sprinters have to make it to the line with the peloton.

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race men's elite previous winners

2015: Gianni Meersman (BEL) Etixx - Quick-Step

2016: Pete Kennaugh (GBR) Team Sky

2017: Nikias Arndt (GER) Team Sunweb

2018: Jay McCarthy (AUS) Bora-Hansgrohe

2019: Elia Viviani (ITA) Deceuninck - Quick-Step

2020: Dries Devenyns (BEL) Deceuninck - Quick-Step

2021: No race due to Covid-19

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race women's elite previous winners

2016: Amanada Spratt (AUS) Orica-AIS

2017: Annemiek van Vleuten (NED) Orica-Scott

2018: Chloe Hosking (AUS) Alé-Cippolini

2019: Arlenis Sierra (CUB) Astana Womens Team

2020: Liane Lippert (GER) Team Sunweb

2021: No race due to Covid-19