Australian cycling legend Cadel Evans and 2022 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Grace Brown were at Deakin University on Tuesday (December 13) to announce the UCI World Tour Elite Women’s Road Race’s return in 2023.
The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race partnered with Deakin University to announce the event, which will take place in Geelong and the Surf Coast on Saturday, January 8.
Brown, who hails from Camperdown, Victoria, is the first cyclist to announce her participation, and said she was thrilled to be taking part as the world-renowned event returned after a two-year hiatus.
“It is great to compete once again in the Deakin University Elite Women’s Road Race for 2023, especially after a tough couple of years without the event due to the pandemic,” she said.
“The event is one that I always look forward to on the cycling calendar every year, given the chance to ride against some of the best riders in the world along the picturesque Geelong and the Surf Coast roads.
“I can’t wait to get back on the bike for the event in January for such a marquee event for the Geelong and Surf Coast region.”
Race founder and 2011 Tour de France winner Evans said he was delighted to see Brown return to the World Tour sanctioned event.
“I’m so happy that we can look forward to welcoming the very best female riders in the world back to the Geelong and Surf Coast regions for the return of the Deakin University Elite Women’s Race,” he said.
“To be able to announce a rider of Brown’s calibre is exciting, and we can’t wait to welcome more riders in the coming weeks.”
Deakin has been a partner of the Elite Women’s Race since 2016, and the university’s co-director of its Centre for Sport Research, Associate Professor Natalie Saunders, said the event put a spotlight on both women’s cycling and the region.
“At Deakin, we strive to support female athletes, from grassroots to elite participants, through research conducted at our Centre for Sport Research, which aims to improve the health and performance of people and organisations across sport,” Associate Professor Saunders said.
“Our goal is to inspire more women to be involved in sport at every level both on and off the course.”
