It wasn’t the dream Australian farewell that Chloé Dygert had hoped for, finishing fourth in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race after a messy sprint along the Geelong waterfront, bringing the 2025 Australian summer racing block to a close.

Despite securing a stage win at the Tour Down Under, Chloé was chasing a fairytale ending after finishing fourth in the Schwalbe One Day Classic last week and second at the Surf Coast Classic on Wednesday – both also decided in bunch sprints.

Alice Towers, who finished 14th after playing a valuable team role, reflected on the outing: “It was a bit of a frustrating day for us. Chloé is a bit disappointed with the result, but I think she’ll be pleased with her performance after some time. She’s disappointed now because she got a bit chopped up in the sprint and wasn’t able to sprint properly. If she’d had a clear run, this kind of finish really suits her.”

The 145.5 kilometre race, which started and finished in Geelong, began as quite a processional affair for the peloton. With minimal wind and a decisive final 40km on brutal suburban climbs and twisting city roads, the earlier phases were largely controlled.

According to Alice, it was also quite hot.

“Although we weren’t expecting to need as much ice, we had to fall back on the ‘down under’ protocols we’ve learned from racing here.”

After basking in the warmer temperatures, the peloton truce was broken at the 65km mark when several riders tested the waters with probing attacks. Maike van der Duin stayed alert, jumping into a 12-rider breakaway to give CANYON//SRAM zondacrpyto some representation, but this was short-lived. Two different riders then went clear, settling the peloton once again.

During the lead-in to the city circuit, there were crash disruptions and a few fraught attempts by other teams to split the peloton in the crosswinds. Nevertheless, a large peloton hit the first ascent of Challambra Crescent – a stinging 1.5km climb with sections reaching upwards of 16%. This was quickly followed by the short but equally savage Melville Wall, and both climbs were to be tackled twice in the finale. Alice Towers, Maike van der Duin, and Chloé Dygert all crested the climb amongst a relatively calm peloton, while Tiffany Cromwell fought her way back to the front not long after, and immediately made her presence felt.

Alongside Maike, Tiffany switched into attack mode, launching a series of aggressive digs. They then shifted focus to set up Chloé and Alice for the final ascent of Challambra.

Alice shares her perspective on how the race unfolded as it reached its climax, with just over 10km to go.

“Initially, the plan was for Chloé to attack in the final five kilometres, either on or just after the second kicker. Unfortunately, the groups turned out to be larger than expected, and there were too many teams with riders to chase, such as UAE and FDJ. As a result, Chloé decided not to waste her energy on an attack. I made a small move myself, but it didn’t get very far,” Alice chuckled. “I haven’t got the same watts as Chloé.”

“Once we hit the gradual descent towards the finish line, everyone normally starts to think about the sprint. I focussed on keeping the pace high to neutralise any attacks, but it didn’t quite work out because someone did attack. I just tried to keep the distance under control and keep the group moving as we came into the finish.”

After securing her first-ever World Tour top-ten result at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in 2024, Alice showed her strength in Geelong once again.

“As for my own performance, I’m quite satisfied. I would have liked to be closer to the front the second time up Challambra, but I was a bit too far back. When the pace really ramped up at the bottom of the climb, I held back a bit to avoid blowing up, and steadily worked my way toward the front. I ended up just a little off the eight or so riders who made it over the climb first. Overall, I’m happy with how I rode. It would have been nice if the race had been a bit more aggressive, as that would’ve suited us better, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto now shifts back into European racing mode, but first, a pit stop at the UAE Tour, running from February 6th to 9th.

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