The Oceania Cycling Confederation (OCC) welcomes the world’s best road cyclists back to Oceania for the start of the 2019 UCI road season with nine UCI sanctioned road events in Australia and New Zealand in January across the UCI World Tour, UCI Oceania Tour and the UCI women’s calendar.

The largest Oceania road calendar in more than a decade starts in Adelaide, Australia with the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under, the first UCI road event anywhere in the world for 2019. The Men’s UCI World Tour will kick off at the Santos Tour Down Under, 15-20 January.

Attention then turns across the Tasman with the Gravel and Tar Classic in New Zealand, part of the UCI Oceania Tour, which includes a women’s race Gravel and Tar La Femme at UCI level for the first time. A unique event on the calendar offering both tarmac and gravel roads on a challenging course. The OCC is proud to sponsor a team in the women’s event allowing a five rider team to contest the event lead by reigning Oceania Champion Sharlotte Lucas. The full OCC team for Gravel and Tar La Femme can be found here.

Men’s teams then head to the New Zealand Cycle Classic, January 23-27, the second event of the 2019 UCI Oceania Tour in the Waikato region of New Zealand.

World Tour racing continues over the Australia Day weekend at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, in Geelong, Victoria, with the women’s peloton in action January 26 and the men’s January 27.

The Herald Sun Tour will conclude an exciting month of racing with the second UCI edition of the women’s race, January 30-31 and the men’s the penultimate event of the UCI Oceania Tour held January 30 to February 3.

Oceania Cycling Confederation President and UCI Management Committee Member Tracey Gaudry said, “The Oceania Cycling Confederation is pleased to again have the 2019 UCI road season start here in Oceania. With nine UCI sanctioned events the world class racing in Oceania is at the highest level it has been in more than a decade.

“Having four of the five road events including a women’s race as part of their schedule is a sign of the continued growth of women’s cycling. Each year we see new events added to the calendar and the sport in our region continues to go from strength to strength.

“We thank the organisers for their support in expanding the calendar of women’s races with all four races offering teams and riders an opportunity to gain experience and UCI points on home soil,” added Gaudry who is President of the UCI Women’s Commission.

“We’re sure to see some exciting performances from seasoned professionals in WorldTour teams to new talents in domestic and regional teams.”

The 2019 Oceania Cycling Confederation Annual General Meeting takes place in Hamilton, New Zealand with delegates from all Oceania member nations attending. The AGM is held in conjunction with two weeks of racing in New Zealand that also includes the 2019 Oceania BMX Championships in Te Awamutu, January 19 and round five of the 2018/19 Tissot UCI Track World Cup in Cambridge, January 18-20.

Oceania Events in January 2019
10-13 January – Santos Women’s Tour Down Under (UCI Women)
15-20 January – Santos Tour Down Under (UCI World Tour)
18-20 January – Tissot UCI Track World Cup Cambridge (UCI Track World Cup)
19 January – Oceania BMX Championships (Oceania Continental Championship)
19 January – Gravel and Tar La Femme (UCI Women)
19 January – Gravel and Tar Classic (UCI Oceania Tour)
23-27 January – New Zealand Cycle Classic (UCI Oceania Tour)
26 January – Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (UCI Women)
27 January – Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race (UCI World Tour)
30-31 January – Women’s Herald Sun Tour (UCI Women)
30 January – 3 February – Herald Sun Tour (UCI Oceania Tour)