Nowra, Aboriginal word for black cockatoo is a town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, 160 kilometres south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney. The region around Nowra is a farming community, sustaining a thriving dairy industry and a number of State forests, but is also increasingly a retirement and leisure area for Canberra and Sydney.
Starting in Nowra, the race travels north along Moss Vale Road, ...
Read moreNowra, Aboriginal word for black cockatoo is a town in the South Coast region of New South Wales, 160 kilometres south-southwest of the state capital of Sydney. The region around Nowra is a farming community, sustaining a thriving dairy industry and a number of State forests, but is also increasingly a retirement and leisure area for Canberra and Sydney.
Starting in Nowra, the race travels north along Moss Vale Road, through many conservation areas including Meryla State Forest, Morton and Bugong National Park. Passing through the Canbewarra range, the first hills of the day are encountered, and this is the first real test for the major contenders of the race.
The 109km scenic route takes us through many small townships and world heritage areas before entering the hills again with Bargo State Conservation area on one side and Upper Nepean National park on the other. This leads us to the race’s finals destination, Wilton, where the best climbers in the field will duke it out over the remaining few kilometres.
The many climbs on the course favour the better climbers in the peloton and although there are some complicated descents, time can easily be made up by the stronger riders. There is likely to be a reduced field reaching the small climb at the finish line, which will allow space for the best climbers to once again emerge from pack- one final time.
