As much of the road racing world is enjoying the off-season hiatus in the wintry weather of Europe, there is a race tucked among the mountains in Australia which each year seems to be drawing more and more WorldTour riders onto the start list as an early entry point to the Australian summer of racing.
They aren't chasing points – there is no UCI ranking or prestige, it isn't even a national level or state series race – but there is something compelling about this club-run race with an impressive history of acting as a proving ground for up-and-coming talent.
