A NEW-look Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic course is expected to highlight south-west Victoria’s best assets.
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The 103rd running of the iconic road race will start at Avalon for the first time in its history and include Geelong, Winchelsea, Birregurra, Colac, Port Campbell, Peterborough and Allansford before finishing in Warrnambool.
The 262-kilometre course, which was unveiled on Sunday ahead of the February 16 race, does not include Camperdown and Terang as it did in previous years.
Melbourne to Warrnambool Road Race Cycling Committee chairman Shane Wilson said he was thrilled with the route which “takes advantage of the best countryside in terms of visuals and cycling that our area has to offer”.
“It is a course of three sections – there’s going to be the flat, potentially fast section through to Colac because that’s on straight, flat roads,” he said.
“When you get from Irrewillipe Road all the way through to Port Campbell, it is absolutely stunning countryside through there with rolling hills and eucalyptus.
“It will be some stunning Western District countryside and that will be good for potentially more of a promotional view point in years to come.”
Wilson expects the contenders to make their mark at Port Campbell.
“I think the race will really be on there because they have the hill out of Port Campbell,” he said.
“One of the things we’re really happy with from a Warrnambool perspective is coming in at Hopkins Point Road, up Carters Hill.
“It is about 3km from the bridge and there’s a 900m hill there which will really be telling because it will be the last real decent hill to attack on. Then they’ll just fly down the hill, across the bridge, past Lyndoch and into the old finish (line on Raglan Parade).”
Wilson said Camperdown and Terang missing out was “really unfortunate”.
But he believes the reworked route will provide plenty of intrigue.
“Colac is back on it. We have to be mindful of history and Colac has always had a really big role to play in the Melbourne to Warrnambool,” Wilson said.
The Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic is also preparing for a new calendar date.
It was last run in October 2017, and will now be in February during the midst of the Australian cycling season.
Wilson said the Tour Down Under in Adelaide and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race would precede it, providing an opportunity to attract elite cyclists.
He potentially hot weather would not be a factor.
“It could be 40 degrees or it could be blowing a south-westerly,” Wilson said of the south-west’s topsy-turvy conditions.
“But the cyclists have got Cadel’s event at the start of February which has been raced in 40-degree weather and the Tour Down Under is always in extreme conditions so it’s not as if they’re not used to riding in hot conditions.
“It gets away at 7am so hopefully they’re most of the way down here before it could become too hard.”
Minister for Sport, Tourism and Major Events the Hon. John Eren said it was an ideal date for the time-honoured race.
“It’s fantastic to see the new route for the Melbourne to Warrnambool starting at Avalon Airport and including Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Road,” he said.
“There's never been a better time to enjoy the action.”
