Laurence Pithie triumphs after millimeter-print in chaotic and spectacular finale of the Great Ocean Road Race

Laurence Pithie claimed victory in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. The New Zealander sprinted to his first major win as a professional cyclist in a small group. The 21-year-old rider from Groupama-FDJ outpaced Natnael Tesfatsion and Georg Zimmermann, who secured second and third places, respectively. Notably, top favorites Biniam Girmay and Caleb Ewan fell short.

While the Great Ocean Road Race is traditionally viewed as a competition suited for robust sprinters, the challenging climbs in the local circuit once again made a significant impact in this edition. The 176-kilometer race from Geelong commenced shortly before noon, concluding approximately four hours later. In the final stage, the peloton tackled the Challambra Crescent three times—a 1.1-kilometer climb with a 9% average gradient.

Four Australians animate the race, Onley falls and abandons the race

Four frontrunners quickly established a breakaway, cycling to a lead of approximately three minutes. All of them were Australian riders: Dylan Proctor-Parker and Cranage from the Ara | Skip Capital team, and Zachary Marriage and Jackson Medway from Team Bridgelane. However, on the first ascent of Challambra Crescent, around forty kilometers from the finish, Marriage and Medway accelerated, leaving Proctor-Parker and Cranage behind. In the peloton, the pace remained relatively calm for the time being.

In the backdrop of the race, it took a while for any significant action to unfold. Even before the race's decisive moments, Oscar Onley had to abandon due to a fall. The young Scot, who had recently triumphed on Willunga Hill in the Tour Down Under, was unable to continue. On the second ascent of the climb, Marriage and Medway were also reeled in. Following this, some teams hesitated to take control of the race. As the peloton approached the final Challambra Crescent, it still comprised around forty riders.

Peloton significantly thinned out, but group sprint is inevitable: Pithie has most left and triumphs in Geelong

On the final climb, some sprinters struggled to keep up. The first to fall behind the pace set by the Israel-Premier Tech riders, working for Corbin Strong, was Elia Viviani. As the climb unfolded, true climbers emerged at the forefront. George Bennett significantly increased the pace, and both Luke Plapp and Jhonathan Narváez attempted to break away. However, the climb proved too short for a decisive attack. Even top favorite Girmay didn't manage to conquer the final ascent.

Subsequently, about fifteen riders endeavored to maintain the gap that had formed toward the finish, providing an opportunity for the remaining fast men. But not before a few riders attempted late attacks. Archie Ryan was caught by the Groupama-FDJ riders. Plapp made another attempt. The most notable effort came from Quinn Simmons, the American champion. He gained approximately fifty meters on the rest, held on until the final kilometer, but had timed his attack just a bit too early. His teammate Bauke Mollema also made a brief escape, but a group sprint was inevitable. It was highly chaotic, and the winner was not immediately apparent. In the end, a powerful surge revealed that Pithie was the strongest, narrowly ahead of Tesfatsion and Zimmermann.

Results Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race 2024, men

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