Gracie Elvin is a two-time national champion, an Oceania champion and has represented Australia at the World Championships on three occasions. In 2016 the Orica-AIS rider is aiming to add Olympian to her palmarès with selection for the Rio Olympic Games road race.
"I definitely want to get into that Australian team but I am probably on the outer in terms of being a favourite to get into the team because of the nature of the course," Elvin told Cyclingnews of her quest to secure a ticket to Rio.
A breakthrough 2016 season for Elvin has elevated the 26-year-old into the top tier of riders for those coveted Rio places following her first wins on European soil. The first of which was a two-up sprint again Ellen van Dijk at the 1.1 Gooik-Geraardsbergen-Gooik. The victory ahead of a former time trial world champion was one of "relief" as Elvin explained to Cyclingnews but one that also helped to banish self-doubt.
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"The first win I was so happy and super excited but the main emotion of that day was relief because I'd been over there as a professional rider for a few years," Elvin said. "I always believed in myself but sometimes you feel like you're never going to get there and you can't be one of the best in the world. There is always some self doubt there so when you win a race it's kind of like a big relief you are doing the right thing, you are doing the right training and preparation and you can be one of the best in the world and keep going a bit longer. I was also super happy because my team has been supportive of me and it was nice to pay them back and get a good result."
A second win followed less than two months later at the Thüringen Rundfahrt stage race ahead of teammate Emma Johansson ensured it was Elvin's best season yet as a pro and gave her confidence to chase her Olympic dream next August.
"This year was not just a breakthrough for me with the two wins but also because I was more consistent and finished the season pretty well," she said of 2015. "In previous years I've been so super tired that I have been dragging myself through the last two races. Even the two Worlds I did in 2012-2013 it was a little touch and go for how long I would last in the those races because I was carrying so much fatigue from the season and then this year I was so much better and stronger right until the end of the season and I had a much better race at the Worlds and really enjoyed my break back at home.
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