Riders will start and finish in Moorabool Street, Geelong – the heart of Geelong’s CBD. The start/finish is located at the crossroad of Little Ryrie Street.
The circuit is 16km in length and begins by travelling South on Moorabool St.
After reaching Moorabool Street’s high point at McKillop Street, the course descends down Moorabool St, past Kardinia Park on the right, before going over the Barwon River and then under Latrobe Terrace (Princes Hwy).
The course then takes a sharp right towards the river into Barrabool Rd
Expect the riders to utilise this section of the course to make a break on the peloton, before they face the day’s major climb. The tight, quite technical right hand turn is followed by a fast, flat section alongside the Barwon River. This section is particularly relevant for the non-climbers.
The course continues by passing through a roundabout at Shannon Ave before following the shape of the river, taking a right at Mt Pleasant Rd and another quick right at Barwon Blvd.
The course has now begun its climb in earnest through what is predominantly a residential zone. Expect BBQ’s and house parties to feature prominently throughout this section.
After Barwon Blvd becomes Challambra Crescent it begins to approach its steepest point, averaging out at around 8% gradient, peaking at 13%. The sprinters and non-climbers should not have too much difficulty passing over this climb for the early laps but as the race gets older, expect this climb to split the field considerably. Montpellier Park here provides a fantastic vantage point and an area for spectators to gather.
The race then takes a right into the Ridge and then an early right into Scenic Rd to start the descent. With this section featuring a 2.5km descent and wide roadway, expect cyclists to reach speeds of between 80-90km per hour as they seek to move away from those who perhaps lack some skill on the descent.
The race drops into a low point on the course, crossing the river once again, before the peloton is faced with a short, but quite a steep climb up from the river, along Queens Park Rd, up to Aphrasia St. Expect this short climb to hurt most riders, particularly those who have either not quite recovered from the Challambra Crescent climb or have been forced to descend rapidly to avoid being dropped.
With the course taking a left turn at Pakington St, the course begins a slight descent along what should be a fast, wide section of the course through the busy shopping precinct of Pakington Street. An opportunity for riders to reposition themselves or regain contact if they have been dropped.
The riders take a short, technical right turn at Church St, over the highway before slipping left into Glenleith Ave, now within sight of Geelong’s foreshore.
The peloton then take what promises to be a challenging right turn through the roundabout at The Esplanade. Late in the race, this turn will be especially action packed, before following the Waterfront down alongside Western Beach and then the Steampacket Precinct.
Come the final lap, if the sprinters are still around, will begin to position themselves as they take a fast right hand turn into Moorabool Street for what is a finish straight that is slightly uphill and should suit the stronger endurance type sprinters rather than the powerful, punchy sprinter. The long 750m up to the finish, rising all the time removes the element of luck out of the result.
With the course featuring multiple laps of several tough sections, the key will be whether the pure sprinters are able to maintain contact. Expect the climbers to tackle the uphill sections at pace in order to put the sprinters in difficulty. Perhaps the course will better suit the all-round rider who climbs well and possesses good endurance. The opportunist that sneaks away over the climb late in the race is a red hot chance here. If not, look out for the final drag race up Moorabool St!
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