Having achieved a career goal with Olympic selection in 2016 for Australia, Gracie Elvin is turning her attention to her best classics campaign yet in 2017. The 28-year-old also enjoyed a fourth Worlds appearance in 2016 and will base her second half of next season around the Bergen championships.
The first half of 2016 for Elvin was built around putting her best foot forward to earn a place in Rio. Top-ten results at the Ladies Tour of Qatar, Ronde van Drenthe, Drentse Acht van Westerveld, Energiewacht Tour and Aviva Womens Tour, plus the defence of her Gooik-Geraardsbergen-Gooik title was enough to secure a place on the plane to Rio where Elvin was the designated domestique for the four-rider team.
"At the end of the day, I walked away satisfied because I did have a good race and did what I needed to do," Elvin told Cyclingnews of her Olympics experience. "I was probably one of a few Olympians there who were content or quite happy with a 50th place. My experience was pretty special and I was really able to appreciate every moment and I think while I would have loved to have been a medal contender, and maybe that is on the cards for the future, it is also a pretty special experience to go there and do your best even though you don't win.
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"At the end of the day, it was a great race and we've had good feedback from spectators and fans saying how exciting it was so I think overall it was a really good thing for women's cycling."
The race didn't play as planned for the Australian team with Amanda Spratt the best finisher in 15th. There was little time for reflection for Elvin who got back to business for the second half of the season and the Qatar Worlds. Having put all her energy "into the Olympics", Elvin ensure her preparation for the race was based around making training rides social and fun. On the day, Elvin was again in a domestique role as he helped Chloe Hosking, a 'rival' and friend since the duo were '12,13' in Canberra', to seventh place.
With her longest season now behind her, Elvin has turned her attention to the upcoming 2017 season with the dual aim of a strong classics campaign and Worlds appearance. 2017 is the fifth year that Elvin will be riding with Orica-AIS but it wasn't always going to be her team for the new season as she explained that she entertained thoughts of moving on.
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