BATHURST'S growing presence on the cycling stage is set to reach a new level after the confirmation of some of the sport's big names to race in the city as part of a new five-round criterium series.
In conjunction with the already successful annual criterium held at Cronulla in December, that event will now be joined by similar races held in Bathurst, Parramatta, Gosford and Coogee from December 8-12 and is set to feature some of the best in the discipline.
Long time Australian race organiser Phil Bates launched the new series at NSW's Parliament House last week.
South Africa's Robbie Hunter (Garmin-Cervelo) plus Team Sky riders Chris Sutton and Greg Henderson are amongst the big-name riders already confirmed for the series, called the NSW Grand Prix of Cycling.
While final official starting lists are yet to be confirmed, the speculation at this stage surrounds the likelihood of cyclists as good as Tour de France stage winner Simon Gerrans contesting the series.
The series' first two races in Bathurst and Parramatta will be twilight events, with Gosford to hold a night race under lights from 8pm on the Friday.
The series will then return to Sydney for two beach-side events in Coogee on the Saturday and finish with the Cronulla Grand Prix on the Sunday.
Reigning women's Cronulla winner and newly crowned Commonwealth Games champion Rochelle Gilmore will lead her Honda Dream Team in the new series.
"It was very satisfying to win the gold medal in Delhi, but now all I'm thinking about to tell you the truth is Phil Bates' races and to try and win not only Cronulla, but a couple of the other races," Gilmore told cyclingnews.
"The competition will be tough, I know Phil will get in all the best riders from around Australia and also international riders.
"We're not laying back and relaxing ? it's the start of our summer and we're taking it very seriously. I'm really looking forward to this new five-day event."
After missing out on the victory to Ben Kersten last year, Sutton is keen to put in a strong performance and hopefully end his duck at the race in Cronulla where he grew up.
"It's great to have a big series of international races back [in NSW]," Sutton said.
"It was great to have one criterium but now we've got five which is great. In New South Wales I think this is what we need for backing and development."
Both the Coogee and Cronulla events will be broadcast on live television in Australia, with the Nine Network to also feature highlights from the first three events.
The first four women's races will be 20 kilometres in length with the Cronulla finale to be contested over 24km.
The men will tackle 30km during the first three events, before increasing to 36km for the Coogee race and 40km in Cronulla.
International riders Julian Dean, Henderson and Hunter are expected to line-up alongside locals like Gerrans, Matthew Hayman, Cameron Meyer, Jack Bobridge, Matthew Wilson and Sutton.
More international riders are expected to be announced in the build up with the series staged immediately after Melbourne's Track World Cup round.
Email a friend