GRACE Brown is determined to continue climbing the mountains of development she sees ahead.
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The Camperdown export, who is back in Melbourne after completing her overseas season, will race for Mitchelton-SCOTT again in 2021.
Brown, 28, had a number of top performances in a COVID-interrupted 2020.
She finished fifth in the time-trial at the UCI World Championships in September, scored her first world tour podium at the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and first win at the Brabantse Pijl.
Next season the former Australian time-trial champion is eager to build again.
"It's continuing that building of experience," she told The Standard.
"There's still heaps I've got to learn about racing and improving technical skills. There's plenty to still work on."
Brown, who enters her third year with the Australian World Tour team, takes plenty of confidence out of a positive year, especially at the classics.
"I have always known my ability and thought I could be up there one day, it was just a matter of everything falling in place and learning how to race those races as well," she said.
"They're quite hard not just in the physical aspect but having the power on bike, the positioning and knowing when to be in critical parts.
"There is quite a lot of things you need to be able to ride those races well.
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"What I have learnt about myself is I can really believe in myself and take a chance and not be afraid to fail. It is something to win but it's also good to be able to be ready to lose."
Brown is excited about a new year with some big targets.
"The team is changing with Annemiek van Vleuten leaving as our lead rider and that really opens up opportunities for me and the other girls to be stepping up," she said.
"Next year is exciting for me with more specific targets. I'll be focusing on the cobbled classics in the first part and then I'm hoping to also target the Tour of Britain.
"I enjoy it (the Giro Rosa - Tour of Italy) but it doesn't fit so well with my plans especially leading into potentially riding at Tokyo.
"I'm aiming for both the time-trial and road race (for the Olympics) but I need to be selected for both.
"I'm not guaranteed a spot but I'm hoping to have a gig in both."
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Sean Hardeman
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
