ARA Australian Cycling Team named for 2025 Santos Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race

Promising young talents have been named alongside experienced professionals to line up for the ARA Australian Cycling Team at the Santos Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in January next year. 

Among the team are a number of national champions including 2024 U23 men’s road champion Fergus Browning, 2024 junior women’s time trial and road champion Lauren Bates and 2022 elite women’s road champion Nicole Frain.   

Veteran climber Damien Howson returns to his hometown of Adelaide to race the TDU for the second consecutive year for the Australian national team, while 2025 will mark Liam Walsh’s third year with the team at TDU.

Cameron Scott will add plenty of firepower in the sprints, while Zac Marriage and Rudy Porter will be key in the hills.   

Turning their attention from the track to the road for the Australian summer of cycling and joining the Australian squad in Adelaide and Geelong are Paris Olympic gold medallist Oliver Bleddyn, and team pursuit riders Sophie Edwards and Maeve Plouffe.  

Joining Edwards and Plouffe in both races is the youngest rider of the team, 17-year-old Emily Dixon, from Victoria (she will have celebrated her 18^th birthday later this month).  

Despite their age, Dixon, Bates (18) and Talia Appleton (19) are continuing to build their experience at an international level, all representing Australia at the UCI Road World Championships.  

Talia Appleton in action at the UCI Road World Championships in Glasgow, 2023. Photo: ZW Photography/SWpix.com

Alyssa Polites also joins the team for both races, bringing with her plenty of experience after racing in Europe for two years with Liv AlUla Jayco Women's Continental Team. 

The teams will remain largely the same for both the Santos Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Geelong, with the exception of Damien Howson and Nicole Frain who will only race TDU, and Talia Appleton who will only race Cadel’s.   

The 2025 Santos Tour Down Under kicks off with Stage 1 of the women’s three-stage race on January 17, followed by the men’s six-stage race starting on January 21. 

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race is on from January 29-February 2.  

ARA Australian Cycling Team for Santos Tour Down Under 

Men 

• Oliver Bleddyn 
• Fergus Browning 
• Damien Howson 
• Zac Marriage 
• Rudy Porter 
• Cameron Scott 
• Liam Walsh 

Women 

• Lauren Bates 
• Emily Dixon 
• Nicole Frain 
• Sophie Edwards 
• Maeve Plouffe 
• Alyssa Polites 

ARA Australian Cycling Team for Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race  

Men 

• Oliver Bleddyn 
• Fergus Browning 
• Zac Marriage 
• Rudy Porter 
• Cameron Scott 
• Liam Walsh 

Women 

• Talia Appleton 
• Lauren Bates 
• Emily Dixon 
• Sophie Edwards 
• Maeve Plouffe 
• Alyssa Polites 

Feature image: ZW Photography