Gilmore unable to defend Honda Hybrid Women's Tour title

Rochelle Gilmore's injury woes continue, the defending champion forced to pull out of next week's Honda Hybrid Women's Tour in Victoria, which begins on Wednesday.

A broken pelvis suffered at the Giro Donne in July kept Gilmore off the bike until the recent Holland Ladies Tour, with the Commonwealth Games gold medallist and 2010 Road Cyclist of the Year deciding to sit out the five-stage event after the recent world championships in Denmark.

"I am disappointed not to be able to race the Honda Hybrid Women's Tour next week, but my long-term health must remain my number one priority," Gilmore said. "While I won't be riding, I will enjoy supporting Australia's best female cyclists as they compete in what is sure to be a fiercely contested Tour."

Gilmore will instead use the time to recover properly with her focus on her 2012 Olympic Games campaign.

The Honda Hybrid Women's Tour is run in conjunction with the Jayco Herald Sun Tour and too features a challenging stage taking in Arthurs Seat and Gilmore expects the unfolding events to have a major bearing on the final outcome.

"With five stages, the 2011 Tour will be more demanding than the three-stage Tour of 2009. I think the toughest stage for the competitors will be the Arthurs Seat stage, because it's the penultimate stage finishing on a challenging hill top," Gilmore said.

Meantime, Gilmore is hoping to be ready to race again in the Noosa Grand Prix series at the end of October.