How a COVID-19 enforced break provided the mental space needed for an elite Australian cyclist to start thinking about priorities away from sport, and led to a transition ‘gap’ year.

Olympian, dual Commonwealth Games and triple World Championship cycling representative Gracie Elvin OLY enjoyed a long and successful career in elite road cycling - one of the world’s most physically and mentally demanding sports. Having started her career mountain biking Gracie progressed to become a mainstay of the elite Mitchelton Scott team for eight years. Whilst competing at the elite level Gracie all but completed her Bachelor of Applied Science Degree and co-founded The Cyclists Alliance, a foundation that provides holistic support to professional female cyclists during and after their careers. With COVID-19 severely disrupting Gracie’s 2020 cycling season, this enforced break provided her the time and space to think about life after sport and led to 2021 being Gracie’s ‘gap’ year. Gracie shares her thoughts on having distractions away from elite sport, the enjoyment she derived meeting and learning from successful people not involved in professional cycling and the importance the support of family and friends has been on her elite sporting journey.