Towards Zero Race Torquay to launch in 2020

THE Surf Coast will be cemented as a key location in Australia’s summer of cycling, with the 2020 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race to launch with Towards Zero Race Torquay.

For the past three years the event has kicked off with a criterium at Albert Park’s Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix circuit, however the 2020 four-day event will be held exclusively in the Geelong and Surf Coast regions.

Cycling great Cadel Evans said the event would start and finish on The Esplanade, overlooking the picturesque Torquay front beach.

Evans said the 10-kilometre circuit would boast rolling roads to the west, combined with the unpredictability of the winds along the coast, which would make for an exciting race.

“As a request from the riders, and I speak from a sporting point of view, they wanted a bit of a warmup event and training race before Sunday, as some are coming from Tour Down Under or overseas, and this might be their first race for the season,” Evans said.

“So, it’s come as a little bit of a request from the riders, but here we can have one more day of racing, so that will also be of great benefit to us.”

Evans said Towards Zero Race Torquay would also give competitors unsure if they would make the finish line of Sunday’s race, a chance to take out the win on Thursday.

“It will be like a circuit race they have in like Belgium, and when you have a 10km circuit you are getting more hills, more cross wind and it becomes a little bit less like a criterium and more like a road race, so that’s where the style of racing changes, which is what the teams prefer,” he said.

Towards Zero Race Torquay will feature world-class racing with the best male and female riders competing on a dynamic course for equal prize money.

The circuit course, which takes in the start of the Great Ocean Road, will create a festival atmosphere, offering spectators the chance to see the riders multiple times throughout the race.

Towards Zero Race Torquay will open Australia’s premier cycling weekend on Thursday January 30, before the Family Ride, Swisse People’s Ride and Elite Men’s and Women’s Races take place from Friday January 31 to Sunday February 2.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Martin Pakula MP, declared Towards Zero Race Torquay a coup for the region.

“Race Torquay will make the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race one of the best regional sporting events in Australia, and showcase our beautiful Great Ocean Road region to the world,” Minister Pakula said.

Surf Coast Shire Council Mayor Rose Hodge was excited to welcome another event as part of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race extravaganza.

“We’re delighted to add Towards Zero Race Torquay to our major events calendar and we can’t wait to see the Surf Coast showcased to a global audience,” Cr Hodge said.

TAC Senior Manager, Engagement, Meg Jacobs also welcomed the announcement. “We are excited to see this event evolve into what will be an incredible weekend of cycling and festivities across Geelong and the Surf Coast,” Jacobs said.

“Partnering with these fantastic events is an important opportunity for us to work with bike riding community, promote safe cycling habits and talk about how we all play a role in road safety.”