There were times during a mountainous last week of the Giro d'Italia when Michael Hepburn could have felt the Olympic Games were a long way off; as he continued to finish in the grupetto after working for his Orica-GreenEdge team leader Esteban Chaves.
Despite the labour of his three weeks in the Giro -started with limited road racing in his legs due to commitments as an Australian team pursuit squad member training for the Rio Games, Hepburn still found motivation and strength to help Chaves as much as he could. The Colombian climber finished second place overall and won stage 14 win to Corvara and wore the leader's ‘maglia rosa' - or pink jersey - for a day.
After the Corsa Rosa Hepburn's clear head and own drive to win an Olympic gold again prevailed. He knows the Games are now only two and half months away.
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"They are coming quick. The last four years has flown by," Hepburn, 24, told Cyclingnews.
"I knew for while that this year was going to be a big year, combining [track and road] … and with the Olympics there this is the biggest goal of all. But in a race like the Giro - and when you are suffering away - it's great to have a guy like Esteban … and someone [like him] who is fighting for the overall position. It really helps the head and it does make it a lot easier and able to do your job."
The Giro was a hard slog for Hepburn and fellow Australian team pursuiter Jack Bobridge (Trek-Segafredo) who also raced it off the back of little road racing and placed last of the 156 finishers, five hours down on overall winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana). Since the Tour Down Under in January, Hepburn's only road race before the Giro was the Tour de Romandie. For Bobridge, it was Liege-Bastogne-Liege and the Tour de Romandie.
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