Video Shout-Out from Rachel Neylan

As a wide eyed eight year old, Ryde little Athletics Club in Sydney I fast became innately in love with sport and the quest for optimal physical performance. My passion was cemented, never winning races but persistent and determined to make my opportunities flourish.

I discovered early on that dedication and hard work yields reward. Applying the same diligence to study, I launched from high school into a Bachelor of Applied Science in Physiotherapy and began a Sports Physio Career in Sydney four years later.

An increasing mismatch was becoming apparent between work ethic and results in my beloved pursuit of running around an athletic track.

With the urge to satisfy those innate desires, I began the hunt to find my true physiological match, a sport better suited to my body's capabilities. I exhausted my professional networks in sports science to underpin my search.

I took up rowing for 14 months, dabbled in triathlon and attempted a running comeback. In August 2007, 25 years old as Australian Rowing Team physio I resonated with increasing strength to the athletes I worked with. Committed to ‘Know thyself’ this further drove my quest, the urge was indomitable.

It came to a tipping point and a light bulb moment followed, I was simply on the wrong side of the fence. I had the fire, this was the ignition.

A fateful google search led my ambitious eyes toward a Women’s Cycling Talent ID program at the South Australian Sports Institute. In a bold leap of faith I relocated from Sydney to Adelaide and began training, effective immediately. Full of passion and desire I jumped in the deep end, having never raced a bicycle!

My rookie years were self-driven and adversity stacked, building an immovable foundation of resilience. The words ‘Gutta Cavat Lapidem’ echoed through every challenge ‘Constant dripping wears away the stone’ became my core philosophy, sheer persistence fuelled my trajectory.

In September 2012, just five years after throwing myself into the world of elite cycling I stood on the World Championships Podium with a Silver medal for Australia.

Having missed out on the London Olympics I was fixed and focused on the road to Rio, I gathered everything I had to create the optimal performance network including relocation to NSWIS working with Bradley McGee.

Returning to the Green and Gold, my world championships ride and solo breakaway in Ponferrada 2014 was a career highlight. I signed with Orica-Scott in March 2015 after winning the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. I celebrated my return to the podium after a rollercoaster of successive challenges.

Standing on top of the podium winning UCI tour Trophee D'or in August 2015 was a special and sentimental first ever European victory. I raced in the World Championships a month later in Richmond, USA.

It was an energetic 2016 summer, 3rd at Nationals, 2nd at Cadel Evans Road Race. A win at the UCI GP Plumelec in May 2016 reinforced my Rio campaign.

In August 2016 I raced in the green and gold for Australia at the Rio Olympic Games. A truly indescribable feeling of elation and pride, a childhood dream became reality.

Shaping my drive and resilience into athletic excellence is both a joy and a privilege. I continue to challenge heights of this athletic quest balanced with purpose, passion, energy and enthusiasm.

I am truly relishing each minute of representing Australia on the world stage and absolutely love sharing the journey with you all!