The Lakes Oil-Fulton Hogan Tour of the Great South Coast is a five-day seven-stage tour that will cover 511.2 kilometres of stunning terrain across Victoria and South Australia.
2016 will be the event’s fifth edition, with one rider to join an illustrious honour roll on which Anthony Giacoppo (2012), Samuel Horgan (2013), Brenton Jones (2014) and Patrick Bevin (2015) have etched their names.
Substantial changes have been made to this year’s course, with the opening two-and-half-days to be raced in South Australia and the last half of the tour to be conducted exclusively in Glenelg Shire. (See course outline on this website).
The City of Mount Gambier will host the tour’s opening day for the fourth straight year, commencing with the 36-kilometre criterium at beautiful Vansittart Park, followed by the classic 65km road stage over 10 laps of a testing Blue Lake circuit.
The tour’s longest stage – an upgraded 136.7km trek starting and finishing in the quaint coastal fishing village of Port MacDonnell – will be raced through District Council of Grant territory on the second day, Thursday, August 11.
Tour action will move inland to the Wattle Range municipality on the third day, with a morning criterium at Penola Primary School in the famed Coonawarra wine region, followed by a 64.2km dash over the border to the renowned rural cycling town of Casterton in the Glenelg Shire.
Glenelg, a Great South Coast Tour sponsor since the event’s inception, will host the final two stages on magnificent courses – a ground-breaking 121.4km road race at Cape Bridgewater on Saturday, August 13, and the grand finale criterium on Portland’s scenic waterfront on the Sunday. (See Cape Bridgewater media release on this website).
Four municipalities will back the event – the City of Mount Gambier, District Council of Grant and Wattle Range Shire in South Australia – and the Glenelg Shire in Victoria.
STAGES
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10: CITY OF MOUNT GAMBIER
STAGE 1: MOUNT GAMBIER
Criterium. 30 laps of a 1.2km Start: 11.00am
CBD circuit, Vansittart Park Finish: 11.45am(approx.)
DISTANCE: 36kms
SPRINTS: 11
HILL CLIMBS: 0
STAGE 2: MOUNT GAMBIER – BLUE LAKE
Road race. 10 laps of a 6.5km Start: 1.30pm
Blue Lake and Reidy Park primary school circuit Finish: 3pm(approx.)
DISTANCE: 65kms
SPRINTS: 4
HILL CLIMBS: 4
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11: DISTRICT COUNCIL OF GRANT
STAGE 3: PORT MACDONNELL
Road race, starting and finishing in Port MacDonnell ( via Allendale East, Pelican Point, Carpenter Rocks, Blackfellows Caves, Blue Lake Golf Links, Donovans, Brown Bay, Riddoch Bay, Race Course Bay
Start: 11am
Finish: 2.30pm(approx.)
DISTANCE: 137.6kms
SPRINTS: 6
HILL CLIMBS: 1
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12: WATTLE RANGE-GLENELG SHIRE
STAGE 4: PENOLA
Criterium. 30 laps of a 1.3km Start: 10.30am
circuit at Penola Primary School Finish: 11.30am(approx.)
DISTANCE: 39 kms
SPRINTS: 11
HILL CLIMBS: 0
STAGE 5: PENOLA TO CASTERTON
Road race, via Warrawindi, Lake Mundi, Murramindi, Karak on Route C198 Start: 1.00 pm (S.A. time)
Finish: 3.00pm (Vic. time, approx.)
DISTANCE: 64.2kms
SPRINTS: 4
HILL CLIMBS: 0
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13: GLENELG SHIRE
STAGE 6: CAPE BRIDGEWATER
Road race. Four laps of a 29km bushland-lakes circuit, incorporating Bridgewater Lakes, Portland Airport and Cashmore, with the start- finish line at Portland Surf Lifesaving Club. Start: 12noon
Finish: 3.00pm(approx.)
DISTANCE: 121.4kms
SPRINTS: 8
HILL CLIMBS: 8
SUNDAY, AUGUST 14: GLENELG SHIRE
STAGE 7: PORTLAND
Criterium. 30 laps of a1.6km town & Start: 12.30pm
waterfront circuit Finish: 1.45pm (approx.)
DISTANCE: 48kms
SPRINTS: 11
HILL CLIMBS: 0
TOTAL DISTANCE: 511.2kms TOTAL NUMBER OF SPRINTS: 55
TOTAL NUMBER OF HILL CLIMBS: 13
Head here for more information.
Images: Con Chronis