Defending Women's Herald Sun Tour champion Lucy Kennedy, who missed last weekend's Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race with a crash, will be without Mitchelton Scott mainstays Grace Brown, Jessica Allen and Georgia Williams. [20-year-old British rider Roberts also crashed, but recovered well enough to compete in Wednesday's race in Shepperton, Victoria.

Roberts and Williams needed stitches after Saturday's crash, while Allen and Brown were taken to the hospital for tests. Meanwhile, Amanda Spratt, who finished second to Kennedy in last year's Sun Tour, opted to skip this year's race in order to return to Europe for spring races, including the Ardennes Classic.

"The last few days have been hectic with checking and following up on injured riders, but finally, together with the team doctor, we decided to be cautious with their health and decided to retire three of them after the Cadel Road Race," said the team's sport director, Alejandro Gonzalez-Tablas said on the team's website.

"We need four riders to start the Sun Tour and we need as many as possible because with Lucy we are aiming for the overall win and you never know what can happen in a race.

In-form Australian sprinter Chloe Hosking will also not be competing in the event, as her Rally Cycling team was devastated by the Cadel Evans crash. The team was subsequently forced to withdraw from the Sun Tour, and Hosking would have been one of the major contenders, if not the favorite, to win the opening stage of the two-day, flat 94 km race around Shepperton.

Defending champion Kennedy will be looking for the title again on Thursday's second and final stage (75.2 km).

The riders will descend 30 km from the Falls Creek ski resort, then take a 15 km loop and climb the remaining 30 km back up to the summit of Falls Creek.

"The second stage is really interesting. 'It starts with a 30km descent, then a loop and a climb back up. It's a pretty unusual stage: it starts with a 30km descent, goes around a loop, and then back up again.

"We start with a sprint stage, so for me it's important to ride safe and conserve my energy.

"It feels really cool. It's my first UCI race back as defending champion, so it's going to be a new experience."

The women's Herald Sun Tour will take place February 5-6, with the men's race starting on February 5 and finishing in Melbourne on February 9.

Mitchelton Scott of the 2020 Women's Herald Sun Tour: Gracie Elvin, Lucy Kennedy, Jessica Roberts, Sarah Roy [25].