The 2018 WorldTour continues with the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Australia on Sunday, January 28.

The race was appointed WorldTour status for 2017, and this honour has been continued into 2018 – with a host of top WorldTour teams due to ride.

The 2017 win went to Nikias Arndt (Team Sunweb), who claimed victory via a narrow margin, sprinting from a reduced peloton to cross the line ahead of Simon Gerrans (Orica-Scott).

German powerhouse Arndt is due to return in 2018, as is 2016 winner Peter Kennaugh (Bora-Hansgrohe).

The women’s race is due to feature its 2017 victor, Mitchelton–Scott rider Annemiek van Vleuten, as well as her team mate, 2016 winner and recent Tour Down Under victor Amanda Spratt.

Nikias Arndt wins the 2017 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. Photo: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Sixteen teams are due to line up for the men’s race, which covers 164km, starting and finishing at the Geelong Waterfront on Sunday 28.

The women’s race, which is not included within the UCI Women’s World Tour, will feature fifteen teams and cover 113km – with the same start and finish location.

The race passes trough Barwon Heads – the home town of 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans – and includes flat but windy, exposed roads, undulating climbs and technical sections, as well as the testing slopes of the Challambra climb.

This year will be the first that the women’s race has crested the Challambra climb, and the men’s course will see rider’s ascent the climb four times. The finish at the Waterfront is fast – but the sprinters have to make it to the line with the peloton.

Designed by former pro rider Scott Sunderland, in consultation with Evans, the courses aim to create an attacking heavy race, synonymous with the European ‘Spring Classics’ – but in a warmer climate.

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race 2018 men’s start list

Team Sunweb (GER)

1. Nikias ARNDT (GER)
2. Phil BAUHAUS (GER)
3. Michael STORER (AUS)
4. Christopher HAMILTON (AUS)
5. Mike TEUNISSEN (NED)
6. Chad HAGA (USA)
7. Sam OOMEN (NED)
Team Manager: Luke ROBERTS (GER)

Bora-Hansgrohe (GER)

11. Peter KENNAUGH (GBR)
12. Sam BENNETT (IRL)
13. Maciej BODNAR (POL)
14. Jay MCCARTHY (AUS)
15. Daniel OSS (ITA)
16. Christoph PFINGSTEN (GER)
17. Rüdiger SELIG (GER)
Team Manager: Steffen RADOCHLA (GER)

Team Sky (GBR)

21. Jonathan DIBBEN (GBR)
22. Owain DOULL (GBR)
23. Christian KNEES (GER)
24. Christopher LAWLESS (GBR)
25. Salvatore PUCCIO (ITA)
26. Lukasz WISNIOWSKI (POL)
27. TBC
Team Manager: Brett LANCASTER (AUS

Quick-Step Floors (BEL)

31. Elia VIVIANI (ITA)
32. Dries DEVENYNS (BEL)
33. Enric MAS NICOLAU (ESP)
34. Fabio SABATINI (ITA)
35. Eros CAPECCHI (ITA)
36. Florian SENECHAL (FRA)
37. Michael MORKOV (DEN)
Team Manager: Rik VAN SLYCKE (BEL)

BMC Racing Team (USA)

41. Simon GERRANS (AUS)
42. Richie PORTE (AUS)
43. Tom BOHLI (SUI)
44. Danilo WYSS (SUI)
45. Rohan DENNIS (AUS)
46. Patrick BEVIN (NZL)
47. Miles SCOTSON (AUS)
Team Manager: Fabio BALDATO (ITA)

Trek-Segafredo (USA)

51. Fumiyuki BEPPU (JPN)
52. Koen DE KORT (NED)
53. Laurent DIDIER (LUX)
54. Ruben GUERREIRO (POR)
55. Mads PEDERSEN (DEN)
56. Niklas EG (DEN)
57. Alex FRAME (NZL)
Team Manager: Kim ANDERSEN (DEN)

Mitchelton-Scott (AUS)

61. Daryl IMPEY (RSA)
62. Jhoan Esteban CHAVES RUBIO (COL)
63. Mathew HAYMAN (AUS)
64. Michael HEPBURN (AUS)
65. Damien HOWSON (AUS)
66. Cameron MEYER (AUS)
67. Jack BAUER (NZL)
Team Manager: Matt WILSON (AUS)

Ag2r La Mondiale (FRA)

71. Pierre Roger LATOUR (FRA)
72. Mikael CHEREL (FRA)
73. Nico DENZ (GER)
74. Ben GASTAUER (LUX)
75. Matteo MONTAGUTI (ITA)
76. Nans PETERS (FRA)
77. Stijn VANDENBERGH (BEL)
Team Manager: Laurent BIONDI (FRA)

Katusha-Alpecin (SUI)

81. Nathan HAAS (AUS)
82. José GONÇALVES (POR)
83. Pavel KOCHETKOV (RUS)
84. Maurits LAMMERTINK (NED)
85. Tiago MACHADO (POR)
86. Johonatan RESTREPO VALENCIA (COL)
87. Mads Würtz SCHMIDT (DEN)
Team Manager: Mikhaylov GENNADY (RUS)

Lotto-Soudal (BEL)

91. Lars BAK YTTING (DEN)
92. Jens DEBUSSCHERE (BEL)
93. Thomas DE GENDT (BEL)
94. Adam James HANSEN (AUS)
95. Bjorg LAMBRECHT (BEL)
96. Marcel SIEBERG (GER)
97. TBC
Team Manager: Herman FRISON (BEL)

LottoNL-Jumbo (NED)

101. Robert GESINK (NED)
102. Maarten WYNANTS (BEL)
103. Thomas LEEZER (NED)
104. Robert Thomas WAGNER (GER)
105. Daan OLIVIER (NED)
106. Enrico BATTAGLIN (ITA)
107. George BENNETT (NZL)
Team Manager: Frans MAASSEN (NED)

Dimension Data (RSA)

111. Lachlan MORTON (AUS)
112. Ben O’CONNOR (AUS)
113. Mark RENSHAW (AUS)
114. Jacobus VENTER (RSA)
115. Tom-Jelte SLAGTER (NED)
116. Scott DAVIES (GBR)
117. Nicholas DLAMINI (RSA)
Team Manager: Alexandre SANS VEGA (ESP)

Roompot – Nederlandse Loterij (Ned)

121. Etienne VAN EMPEL (NED)
122. Martijn BUDDING (NED)
123. Oscar RIESEBEEK (NED)
124. Robbert DE GREEF (NED)
125. Tim ARIESEN (NED)
126. Jeroen MEIJERS (NED)
127. TBC
Team Manager: Jean-Paul VAN POPPEL (NED)

Aqua Blue Sport (IRL)

131. Aaron GATE (AUS)
132. Lasse Norman HANSEN (DEN)
133. Michel KREDER (NED)
134. Calvin WATSON (AUS)
135. Casper PEDERSEN (DEN)
136. Peter KONING (NED)
137. Shane ARCHBOLD (NZL)
Team Manager: Nicki SÖRENSEN (IRL)

Israel Cycling Academy (ISR)

141. Zakkari DEMPSTER (AUS)
142. Nathan EARLE (AUS)
143. Roy GOLDSTEIN (ISR)
144. August JENSEN (NOR)
145. Krists NEILANDS (LAT)
146. Hamish SCHREURS (NZL)
147. Tyler WILLIAMS (USA)
Team Manager: Lionel MARIE (ISR)

Kordamentha Real Estate – Australia (AUS)

151. Scott BOWDEN (AUS)
152. Timothy ROE (AUS)
153. Alexander PORTER (AUS)
154. Steele VON HOFF (AUS)
155. Samuel WELSFORD (AUS)
156. Michael RICE (AUS)
157. TBC
Team Manager Rik FULCHER (AUS)

Which women’s  teams will be at the 2018 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race?

The women’s teams include:

Ale-Cipollini (Ita)
BePink (Ita)
Cylance Pro Cycling (USA)
Metchelton-Scott (AUS)
Sho-Air Twenty20 (USA)
Team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank (USA)
Team Virty Cycling (Den)
Trek Drops (GBR)
Waowdeals Pro Cycling (Ned)
Wiggle High5 (GBR)
Holden Team Gusto Racing (AUS)
Specialized Women’s Racing (AUS)
Sydney Uni-Staminade (AUS)
Kordamentha Real Estate – Australia (AUS)
New Zealand National Team (NZL)