Kim Pham
26 July 2016: Just four years after University of Canberra Bachelor of Science student Gracie Elvin swapped mountain biking for road cycling the 27-year-old is off to Rio.
"I've been given this amazing opportunity and I want to show that I deserve to be there, mostly to myself, but also to all the people who have believed in me along the way," the 27-year-old said.
Elvin has raced in 12 World Cups and two World Championships in cross country mountain biking but recently switched to cycling road race. The main difference between the two is road cycling is a team sport. Elvin will be competing in a team of four and makes her Olympics debut alongside Katrin Garfoot and Rachel Neylan with London 2012 Olympian Amanda Spratt.
"I actually wasn't very good for many years but I still enjoyed steadily improving. There are so many aspects to cycling and I like that you have to be a well-rounded athlete to do well. It requires mental strength and tactics and not just physical ability," she said.
"It has taught me patience because it took so many years for me to become one of the best, and also it takes a lot of patience to win a race. Sometimes we call it chess on wheels!"
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Bachelor of Science student Gracie Elvin will compete in the women's cycling road race at the Rio Olympics. Photo: supplied.
The two-time Australian Road Race Champion trains an average of 15 – 20 hours a week on the bike plus additional cross-training in the gym. She is coached by Neil Ross.
"In addition to our training, we also race a lot. I would do at least 50 race days a year. Leading into Rio, I will be doing a lot of my training in the mountains to prepare for the hilly course," she said.
Elvin has always had an interest in sport and previously competed in horse riding and athletics before her father encouraged her to take up cycling.
She is currently in her final year of her science degree where she is majoring in nutrition and physiology.
"I really enjoy balancing study with sport and I think that it helps me be a better athlete. I enjoy nutrition and physiology because I can apply it directly to my daily life," she said.
"I hope to be able to help others in the future with the knowledge and experience I have gained through both study and elite sport."
The Rio Olympics starts on 5 August.
Read more about our UC Olympic Games and Paralympic Games representatives:
Roberts returns for second Olympics
