Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nickname | Shaza | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Shara Gillow 23 December 1987 Nambour, Queensland, Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 58 kg (128 lb)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Retired | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Discipline | Road | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Role | Rider | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Rider type | Time trialist[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Amateur team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sunshine Coast Cycling Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Professional teams | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011 | Bizkaia–Durango | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2012–2014 | GreenEDGE–AIS | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2015–2016 | Rabo–Liv | |||||||||||||||||||||||
2017–2020 | FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope[3][4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Shara Marche (née Gillow; born 23 December 1987) is an Australian former professional cyclist, who competed professionally between 2011 and 2020, for the Bizkaia–Durango, Orica–AIS, Rabo–Liv and FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope teams.[5] She was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she finished 13th in the time trial and 39th in the road race.
Following her retirement, Marche became a food coach and nutritionist at UCI Women's WorldTeam Team SD Worx–Protime.[6][7]
Marche was born on 23 December 1987 in Nambour, Queensland.[1][8] Her father David Gillow is an Olympic cyclist who represented Zimbabwe at the 1980 Summer Olympics.[1][9] She attended Nambour Christian College then was home schooled and obtained a Bachelor of Language from Western Sydney Institute.[1][8] As of 2012[update], she lived in Belli Park, Queensland.[1] Beyond cycling, Marche is also a surfer.[8]
In 2019, she married Nicolas Marche, then a directeur sportif for UCI WorldTeam Team Sunweb. The couple live in Besançon, France,[10] and have a son, born in 2022.
Marche did not become a professional cyclist until she was twenty years old, taking inspiration from her father to get involved with the sport.[1][9]
Marche was coached by Martin Barras from 2010.[1][8] Her coach said she "was one of the most physically gifted cyclists he had seen, but tended to be too conservative and protective when competing."[9] Her primary training base is in Italy, with a secondary training base in Australia.[1] She is a member of the Sunshine Coast Cycling Club.[1] She has cycling scholarships with the Queensland Academy of Sport and Australian Institute of Sport.[1][8] She was a member of the GreenEDGE–AIS professional cycling team.[11]
Marche finished 4th at the 2011 Memorial Davide Fardelli in Rogno, Italy.[1] She finished 3rd at the Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen in Germany.[1] She finished 9th overall at the 2011 Giro d'Italia Femminile in Italy.[1] She finished 8th at the 2012 La visite chrono du Gatineau in Canada.[1] She finished 7th at the 2012 Prologue GP Elsy Jacobs in Luxembourg.[1] She finished 1st in the individual time trial and 2nd in the road event at the 2012 Oceania Road Championships in Queenstown, New Zealand.[1] She finished 2nd at the 2012 Women's Tour of New Zealand.[1] She finished 1st in the individual time trial event at the 2012 Australian Road Championships in Learmonth, Australia.[1]
Marche was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the road race and individual time trial.[1][9][11][12][13] Prior to the Olympics, she raced with Australia's GreenEDGE–AIS team in the Giro Donne.[9] She finished 13th in the time trial and 39th in the road race.[14]
In September 2016 it was announced that Marche would join FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope for the 2017 season.[15] She spent the rest of her professional career with the team, announcing her retirement in September 2020.[16]
Source:[17]