NZPA reports that Gilmore arrives in great shape given her fourth placing at the Ladies Tour of Qatar.

Gilmore ride for her Italian Lotto professional team in the tour from February 24-28, alongside compatriots Josephine Tomic, Vicki Whitelaw, and Rachel Neylan, and South Africans Lynette Burger and Ashleigh Moolman.

Around 30 Australian riders are expected to participate, most of them in four all-Australian teams, a national squad, another from the Australian Institute of Sport, and trade teams, RACE and Prime State.

It will be the largest number of Australian women in the event according to tour director Jorge Sandoval.

“They will arrive race-fit, and with the course a hilly one they will be well prepared for what lies ahead,” he told stuff.co.nz

The South Australian signed for the German squad in September and has spent the past two seasons with German team Kuota Senges (known as Kuota-Indeland in 2009), having ridden for Bjarne Riis’ outfit for the 2005, ’06 and ’07 seasons, where he completed the 2005 edition of the Tour de France.

He won a gold medal in the team pursuit at the Athens Olympics, although he was plagued by injury during the 2006 and ’07 seasons and found it difficult to maintain a consistent program.

The decorated Australian will join German riders Robert Förster, Björn Schröder, Markus Fothen, Artur Gajek and Thomas Rohregger plus Dutch speedster Wim Stroetinga in a balanced team managed by Vittoria Algeri for the opening round of the ProTour.

“While it’s great to have the international cycling superstars racing in Adelaide, it is always nice to welcome home one of our own,” said fellow South Australian and race organiser, Mike Turtur via press release.

“Milram has selected a team with specialists in all areas,” Turtur said.

with cyclingnews.com

While riding a bike may be easy, and a skill which almost every human can master, riding competitively as a sport is far from easy.

Cyclists these days are regarded as some of the fittest athletes in the world.

They are capable of performing at the highest level for hours and hours on end, performing the same motion, over and over again.

The endurance in professional cyclists is the most admirable trait.

To be able to cycle hundreds of kilometers in a day at an average of more that 30 kilometers an hour, and still have enough energy to sprint to the finish line, is almost superhuman.

While there is no better way of training for cyclists then actually riding a bike, there are many gym exercises which will improve your ability and endurance as a rider.

Here is a list of gym exercises that will improve your cycling performance:

Squats – These leg exercises will give your legs one of the biggest workouts on offer. Targeting mainly the quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes. Squats also ensure your core strength is improving as well as your balance.

Calf Rises – One of the forgotten parts of the human body is the calf. In cycling, the lower part of the leg is still very important and these exercises will burn the muscle like no tomorrow.

Step machine – As well as keeping your cardio fitness up, 20-30 minutes on this machine will give your rear and hammy’s a workout and a half!

Skipping – Not only great for co-ordination and balance, but a good way of leaning to get in a rhythm and keep it. Oh, and it also burns the hell out of your calves!

The good news is that bicycle clothing is easy to find because there are many different brands available both on the internet and through bike shops, the bad news is that it is not always cheap.

Here is a quick guide to choosing the right cycling clothing.

Cycling Jerseys

A jersey needs to fill three main functions. First of all, it needs to make you visible so that you stand out to other road users and minimise your chances of being hit by a car. Secondly, it needs to be made of well-engineered, breathable material that keeps your body temperature regulated in both hot and cold conditions. Lastly, it should have a pocket so that you can easily access a power bar or a map during a long ride.

Cycling Shorts

Try to avoid cheap shorts at all costs, because they will probably irritate you and fall apart in a short amount of time. Bike shorts are made from panels, and good shorts will normally comprise about seven or eight panels. Don’t buy shorts that have padding that is too thick, because it can chaff and become very annoying.

Here is a quick rundown of how to prepare for road cycling trips in order to ensure you fully enjoy them.

First of all, you need to have enough water to last the whole trip. The last thing you want to do is get dehydrated, so plan properly to avoid this serious problem. Look at your route map and work out how many places there are where you can fill up your water bottles. If there are none, you will need to pack extra water. You could have to water bottles mounted in cages on your bike frame, or you could wear a water laden backpack such as a camelpak.

Secondly, get your clothing right. You need to have a waterproof plastic jacket in case it starts raining. These are cheap and easy to carry so there is no excuse for not having one. You need to be wearing a good set of cycling shorts and a proper cycling jersey. Not only will these make you more visible to traffic but they will also regulate your body temperature.

Finally, take some snacks with you in order to keep your energy levels up. Cycling uses a lot of energy and it is easy to become sapped. A power bar or a banana can help get you through the most tiresome phases of your ride.

Put simply, bicycle touring is where you set off on a bike designed to cover long distances purely for the pleasure of riding or for the purposes of travel.

Many people who set out on bicycle tours cove serious distances – some even cover entire countries or continents – but there are also those who may only want to tour for a couple of days at a time.

A touring bike is normally equipped to carry a far greater amount of equipment and luggage than a normal road bike is, and the emphasis is normally on sturdiness and durability rather than speed.

A standard touring bike will normally be decked out with mudguards, fenders, carrier racks and panniers. These fixtures not only protect the rider from the wide range of conditions he or she could come across on their journey, but will also enable them to store all the luggage (including cooking and camping equipment) that they may want to lug along on their journey.

If, however, you like the sound of touring but don’t want to have to carry all the extra equipment, you could partake in what is known as “credit card touring”. This is where you are able to ride a more lightweight, road-style bike and carry far less luggage because you are using cash/credit cards to stay at hostels instead of camping and are eating at restaurants instead of cooking your own food.

Road cycling clubs are organisations based around the shared love of riding, and are normally very well run with a professional emphasis on membership.

This doesn’t mean that the clubs are not fun – far from it. Depending on the type of club you join and its location, a combination of casual and more serious rides will be arranged on a regular basis.

The best clubs will advertise their cycling meets well in advance, so that members can arrange free time to attend the rides. You may also be lucky enough to make a group of road cyclist friends through which you can arrange your own bike rides.

There may be certain conditions attached with joining the road cycling club – you may have to pay a membership fee, for example – but generally the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Advice on how to setup and maintain your bike, where to purchase cheap bike equipment and apparel, and other general help is usually very forthcoming in road cycling clubs.

Remember that if you try a club and don’t like it, you can always move to another one.

Do a quick browse online for road cycling clubs and you should be able to find one near you.

Remember that a good training program will not just focus on one element (eg riding your bike), it will include cross training sections and a commitment to developing all-round fitness.

Depending on the type of competition you will be involved in with your road cycling, you need to customise your training regime to suit.

Many road cycling races are long distance events. In order to fully prepare your body for the challenge of these events you need to start doing long and steady rate rides at low intensity. This will encourage your body to metabolise fats.

A second key element of a well-balanced training program will be threshold training. This is where you increase the speed at which your body hits its anabolic threshold, and over time your capacity to maintain higher speeds will increase.

Remember that as you start your training program your body will not be fully prepared, so it is best to ease into it.

Choose a route that builds up slowly rather than trying to win the Tour de France in one week!

First of all, you need to make a decision between the two premier pedal options for road cycling: clipless pedals or toe clip pedals.

Clipless pedals maximise the energy efficiency of your riding because all the effort you put in your downstroke and upstroke goes directly through the pedals and cranks. Toe clip pedals are less efficient, but can be easier to get in and out of. Toe clip pedals are ok for casual use, but not for daily use.

If you are a daily or regular rider you need a good clipless system including quality pedals and shoes. There are two main things to look for in shoes for the clipless system.

Compatability

Unfortunately because brands are competing for market share, there is little standardisation of clipless systems. You MUST ensure the shoes you buy will fit with the pedals. There are two main systems and these will be outlined on the shoe box – SPD or Look. Make sure you get the ones that match your pedals!

Stiff Soles

The stiffer the better. The reason for this is that stiffness ensures maximum energy is transferred from your pedalling to the bike. You will notice the most expensive road cycling shoes have the stiffest pedals.

Basic road bike maintenance means following a set plan on a fortnightly basis, in order to make sure everything is running smoothly on your bike and to correct any small problems before they become major ones.

Brakes

Check the brake pads before you ride, every time. If the brake pads are worn then make sure you replace them, otherwise you risk serious injury.

Tires

Make sure they are inflated to the correct pressure (the right pressure will be written on the inside of the tyre). Cast your eye over the tyres and look for signs of wear, any cuts and foreign items.

Pedals/Cleats

If you are using clipless pedals then you need to regularly clean and lubricate them. This should be done immediately after every ride to make sure.

Wheels

Once every couple of weeks you need to check that the rims have remained true. Spin them and look for any deviation. If you have knocked them on a curb or something then they may be damaged and need to be re-trued.