One of Australia’s best cycling events returns to the Geelong region on the weekend of January 30 to February 2020 marking the 6th year of this massive boost to our local tourism.
BREAKING NEWS– The Friday evening Vegemite Family Ride has been cancelled due to extreme temperatures.
Whether you are a kid on a bike, a cycling enthusiast, elite athlete or even a spectator this event has something for everyone. The highlight of the Friday leg of the event will see the Vegemite Family Ride where more than 500 kids are expected to enjoy a fun 1.6km ride along Geelong’s magnificent waterfront with some of the world’s biggest cycling names including Cadel Evans and plenty of celebrities. The ride is open to kids 3 and over and gives the kids a chance to ride under the huge blow up finish line outside Steampacket Gardens which should be something they remember for years.
Saturday February 1st will see the local cycling enthusiasts take to the road with the ever popular People’s Ride taking in three courses, a 115km, 65km and 35km around our region. The rides will all take in the Geelong waterfront with the longer rides taking in parts of the Surfcoast and Bellarine. For those tough enough for the 115KM ride it takes in the same course as the professional course and includes the legendary Challambra Climb that is sure to test the leg muscles.
The Elite Womens’ race will take place also on the Saturday, here the cream of world cycling will battle it out in the first UCI Women’s World Tour event. Last year Cuban Arlenis Sierra won the race which averaged a speed of 36.3 km/h over the 121km course. The race starts at 12:20PM at Steampacket Gardens with Channel 7 broadcasting the race as well as Sunday’s action to an audience which will stretch the entire planet making Geelong the centre of world cycling for the weekend.
Sunday will see the men hit the 171 km circuit, starting at Steampacket Gardens at 11:00 AM. The course will take in Barwon Heads, Torquay and return back to the Geelong city area where the teams will lap the outer suburbs taking in the mighty Challambra climb and around Queen’s Park before finishing back on the waterfront. Last year tens of thousands flock to the course to watch Elia Viviani from Italy take out the race and this year there expects to huge.