NSW/ACT State Road Series: Tour of Orange 2026

Event Overview

Tour of Orange is Round 2 of the NSW/ACT State Road Series, held across Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 May in Orange, New South Wales. Promoted by Orange CC and AusCycling, it delivers a multi-stage format with a prologue, a criterium at the Gosling Creek Crit Circuit, and a final-day road race. Racing is graded across Elite, Masters, J19 and U17 categories, with entries capped at 175 riders.

What the Course Demands

Across the weekend, riders need to handle varied race formats: an opening prologue, a technical criterium, and a concluding road race on a rolling circuit. The criterium rewards repeated accelerations and efficient cornering, while the road race is described as offering breakaway chances and finishing with an uphill sprint. Managing effort between stages and staying tactically aware in bunch dynamics can be decisive.

Who This Event Suits Best

This event suits licensed riders looking for state-series style racing across multiple disciplines within road cycling. It generally fits athletes comfortable racing in a graded bunch and responding to changes in pace, particularly in criterium conditions. With categories including U17, J19, Elite and Masters, it can work for developing juniors and experienced racers alike, provided they meet AusCycling licence requirements.

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Preparing for This Event

If you are considering this event and want some structure around your preparation, a targeted training plan can help you arrive feeling confident rather than underprepared. The aim is not to train harder, but to train in a way that suits the distance, terrain, and likely conditions of the course.

• 100km Cycling Plan (All Levels)
• Cycling Threshold Plan (All Levels)
• Online Cycling Coaching

Choosing a plan is optional, but having structure can remove uncertainty and make training easier to repeat week to week. The best option is the one that fits your current fitness, available time, and experience level.