RECORD 15 UCI WorldTour teams have been confirmed for next month\u2019s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (CEGORR), including leading British outfit Team Sky.<\/p>\n
The 2019 field is the strongest in the event\u2019s five-year history, three larger than the 12 WorldTour teams that competed in 2018.<\/p>\n
Team Sky headlines the 2019 line-up, which includes Australian team Mitchelton-SCOTT and race debutants Astana and UAE Team Emirates. The Australian National Team rounds out the elite field of 16 teams.<\/p>\n
Australian cyclist Jay McCarthy, will set out to defend his 2018 crown with German team BORA-hansgrohe.<\/p>\n
McCarthy said he had fond memories of winning in Geelong earlier this year, including celebrating the victory with his \u201csupport team\u201d of relatives and friends that had travelled from across Australia.<\/p>\n
CEGORR is the opening one-day race of the UCI WorldTour calendar and is now regarded in some circles as one of the better non-European one-day classic races.<\/p>\n
Evans has said previously that he is happy a different kind of rider has won each of the four previous events, and McCarthy said he would not be surprised if the Tour de France winner changed the race in some way in 2019 to continue the trend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve excited to see what Cadel\u2019s got in store for us this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minister for Sport, Tourism and Major Events Martin Pakula, said the men\u2019s line-up strengthened Victoria\u2019s position as Australia\u2019s cycling and sporting capital.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is further evidence that the \u2018Summer of Cycling\u2019 brings the best teams from across the globe to race in Victoria, showcasing Melbourne and our beautiful regions to the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will have the best of the best here in Victoria, strengthening our position as Australia\u2019s cycling and sporting capital.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the women\u2019s race, 11 international teams have been confirmed for the UCI 1.1 event, including Australian powerhouse Mitchelton-SCOTT.<\/p>\n
International teams Trek-Segafredo, Astana Women\u2019s Team, Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport, Swapit Agolico and Rally Cycling will compete in CEGORR for the first time.<\/p>\n
Reigning champion and Commonwealth Games gold medalist, Australia\u2019s Chloe Hosking, will return to defend her crown with Italian cycling team Ale Cipollini.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RECORD 15 UCI WorldTour teams have been confirmed for next month\u2019s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (CEGORR), including leading British outfit Team Sky. The 2019 field is the strongest in the event\u2019s five-year history, three larger than the 12 WorldTour teams that competed in 2018. Team Sky headlines the 2019 line-up, which includes Australian […]<\/p>\n