Pressure to win stages

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Rochelle Gilmore kicks off her Giro campaign

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I took the TT very casually, both mentally and physically. No disc wheels, no aero bars, no bootie covers, not even a skin-suit. However, I did wear my Oakley Thumps (sunglasses with a built-in Mp3 player) and started my effort with 'Eye of the Tiger' and 'Simply the Best' to help settle me into a steady rhythm. Today was a little bit of a heart starter for me, I wanted to put pressure on the pedals, but at the same time I was being careful not to push too hard. I have pressure from my team, SAFI, to pull off a stage win or two this year so tomorrow and beyond was consistently in the back of my mind during my 10-minute mediocre effort.

It's nice to be spending the first three nights in the same hotel- gratitude to the organisers! We are sharing the hotel with the Australian National Team which is made up of some very young and exciting talent. The team of young women is being headed by our Commonwealth Games gold medallist- Natalie Bates who has joined the team as a guest rider just for the Giro, she's a fantastic role model and inspiration. Paul Brosnan is the team manager/director-sportif. Broso is very well respected and adds that little extra motivation in bringing a very professional but fun and exciting approach to the team, creating a relaxing and pleasant environment for the new riders.