Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race: Andresen keeps Brennan at bay in difficult finale
Sebastian Lindner
· 01.02.2026
Andresen had already won one stage of the Tour Down Under and also achieved two further second places and a third. The 23-year-old Dane underlined his strong early form in Geelong, not far from Melbourne. After 182 kilometres, only 19 riders crossed the finish line at the same time in the selective finale of the first one-day race on the WorldTour of the year. Last year's winner Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla Team) finished behind the podium trio. With the Tudor duo Marco Brenner and Florian Stork, two Germans also made it to the finish in the leading group. The best professional from Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe was Laurence Pithie in sixth place.
"Today's race was really incredible. After our performances at the Tour Down Under, it's impressive that we were able to do the same at a one-day race like the Cadel Road Race," said Andresen after the race. "We tried to make it as easy as possible for me to save as much energy as possible for the finale, and my team-mates stayed with me and got me back into position as quickly as possible. Then I just gave it my all and tried to hang on to the best rear wheel to complete everyone's work. I'm impressed with what we did today."
As always, the Challambra climb, which was crossed a total of four times, was decisive for the Cadel Race, the last time around nine kilometres before the finish. The 1300 metres at 7.8 percent gradient sorted the peloton out again on the last time, some sprinters were unable to maintain contact with the front. When Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla Team) launched another attack shortly before the final kilometre, Brennan, who no longer had any team-mates at his side, went after him personally and was early into the wind when he caught the Australian at around 400 metres before the line. He had no choice but to start his sprint. However, his legs fell asleep on the long stretch before the finish. Andresen, who had kept a low profile for a long time, was then able to overtake the Briton.
Cadel Evans Great Occean Race 2026 - Results
Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - Men: Geelong - Geelong
Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - Men 2026: Mapei Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - Men, Geelong - Geelong
| Rnk. | Riders | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Decathlon CMA CGM Team | 04:15:25 |
| 2 | Team Visma | Lease a Bike | +00:00:00 |
| 3 | NSN Cycling Team | +00:00:00 |
| 4 | Team Jayco AlUla | +00:00:00 |
| 5 | Movistar Team | +00:00:00 |
| 6 | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | +00:00:00 |
How the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Race 2026 went
In significantly lower temperatures than during the Tour Down Under, Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE Team Emirates - XRG), Oliver Peace (Team Picnic PostNL) and Julian Baudry from the Australian national team pulled away shortly after the start. The trio gained a lead of just under three minutes. Nevertheless, they were already over at the first finish. But there were still 65 kilometres to go.
On the subsequent circuit, there were repeated attacks on the Challambra climb. And as in the Tour Down Under, Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain - Victorious) was a driving force here too. However, there were no real gaps. On the penultimate lap, Anders Skaarseth (Uno-X Mobility) and Chris Harper (Australia) tried to attack. They went on the flat and also took 20 seconds, made it to the final Challambra climb and were caught there.
There it was Buitrago who showed himself again. Luke Lamperti (EF Education - EasyPost) countered the attack. With just over five kilometres to go, several pros caught up from behind and attacked in succession. Brenner also tried, but was also unable to break away. It was Plapp who was the only one able to put a few metres between himself and the rest on the final kilometre. However, Brennan was on hand here, but ultimately paid the price. Andresen was the cooler one, which ultimately tipped the scales in his favour.
