Tobias Lund Andresen denies Brennan victory in Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race

Tobias Lund Andresen claimed victory in the tenth edition of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. The Dane from Decathlon CMA CGM was the fastest in the sprint after more than four hours of racing. Andresen relegated Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Brady Gilmore (NSN Cycling) to the next podium spots.

In the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, top riders like Matthew Brennan, Adam Yates, Mauro Schmid, and Laurence Pithie faced 185 race kilometers in and around Geelong. The first part of the race was relatively flat, but once inland, the challenge came in the finale: multiple climbs of the Challambra Crescent (1 kilometer at 9%) were decisive on the way to the finish.

Visma | Lease a Bike controls the race
Leading into the final circuit, the peloton still had to reel in a breakaway of three riders. The Norwegian road warrior Vegard Stake Laengen (UAE Emirates XRG) launched an attack and was joined by Oliver Peace (Picnic PostNL) and Julian Baudry (Team Brennan). However, this trio didn’t get much leeway from the Visma | Lease a Bike team.

The Dutch squad decided to take the front of the peloton, hoping to set up a sprint for their designated finisher Matthew Brennan. Under the lead of the yellow and black team, the three attackers were caught well before the finish, but this became a signal for other riders to launch counterattacks. A two-man move by Chris Harper and Anders Skaarseth, however, did not last long either.