"We want to have all the top riders coming here" - Cadel Evans on the development of his Great Ocean Road Race

A former winner of the Tour de France, Cadel Evans is one of the most renowned Australian cyclists of all-time and in early 2024, the eighth annual edition of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race takes place.

"After our hiatus [because of COVID-19 in 2021 and 2022 ed.], like everyone in life, we’re making our way back to where we were,” says the 46-year-old in quotes collected by The Times in his hometown of Barwon Heads. “We’ve got the momentum going again from this year, so let’s work on keeping it going, and speeding it up."

Evans is clearly very proud of his race and has big ambitions for its standing within the sport. “It’s one step at a time coming back to bigger and better things, but the interest from the international teams – especially the European-based teams – is growing, and for them to travel back to Australia and prepare for a big season is returning to what it was before," he explains.

“That was always the goal, to be in the top tier, and I’m still really proud of the fact that within three years, in both male and female, we got to the WorldTour,” Evans continues. “Ultimately, we want to have all the top riders coming here and be one of the monuments of cycling, but of course they’ve got an 80-year head start on us."