# Shara Marche

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. 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.

## Personal

Marche was born on 23 December 1987 in Nambour, Queensland. Her father David Gillow is an Olympic cyclist who represented Zimbabwe at the 1980 Summer Olympics. She attended Nambour Christian College then was home schooled and obtained a Bachelor of Language from Western Sydney Institute. As of 2012, she lived in Belli Park, Queensland. Beyond cycling, Marche is also a surfer.
In 2019, she married Nicolas Marche, then a directeur sportif for UCI WorldTeam Team Sunweb. The couple live in Besançon, France, and have a son, born in 2022.

## Cycling

Marche did not become a professional cyclist until she was twenty years old, taking inspiration from her father to get involved with the sport.
Marche was coached by Martin Barras from 2010. 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." Her primary training base is in Italy, with a secondary training base in Australia. She is a member of the Sunshine Coast Cycling Club. She has cycling scholarships with the Queensland Academy of Sport and Australian Institute of Sport. She was a member of the GreenEDGE–AIS professional cycling team.
Marche finished 4th at the 2011 Memorial Davide Fardelli in Rogno, Italy. She finished 3rd at the Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen in Germany. She finished 9th overall at the 2011 Giro d'Italia Femminile in Italy. She finished 8th at the 2012 La visite chrono du Gatineau in Canada. She finished 7th at the 2012 Prologue GP Elsy Jacobs in Luxembourg. She finished 1st in the individual time trial and 2nd in the road event at the 2012 Oceania Road Championships in Queenstown, New Zealand. She finished 2nd at the 2012 Women's Tour of New Zealand. She finished 1st in the individual time trial event at the 2012 Australian Road Championships in Learmonth, Australia.
Marche was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the road race and individual time trial. Prior to the Olympics, she raced with Australia's GreenEDGE–AIS team in the Giro Donne. She finished 13th in the time trial and 39th in the road race.
In September 2016 it was announced that Marche would join FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope for the 2017 season. She spent the rest of her professional career with the team, announcing her retirement in September 2020.

## Major results

Source:

### 2008

    2nd Overall Tour of Bright

### 2009

    2nd Overall Canberra Tour
    8th Overall Women's Tour of New Zealand
    9th Chrono Champenois

### 2010

    1st Stage 1 (ITT) Mersey Valley Tour
    8th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships

### 2011

    Oceania Road Championships
       1st Road race
       1st Time trial
    1st Time trial, National Road Championships
    3rd Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen
    4th Overall Women's Tour of New Zealand
    4th Memorial Davide Fardelli
    7th Chrono Champenois
    9th Overall Giro d'Italia Femminile
       1st Stage 2

### 2012

    Oceania Road Championships
       1st Time trial
       2nd Road race
    National Road Championships
       1st Time trial
       7th Road race
    1st Stage 3 Bay Classic Series
    UCI Road World Championships
       2nd Team time trial
       10th Time trial
    2nd Overall Women's Tour of New Zealand
    2nd Open de Suède Vårgårda TTT
    8th Chrono Gatineau

### 2013

    National Road Championships
       1st Time trial
       6th Road race
    2nd Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen
       1st Stage 4 (ITT)
    3rd Team time trial, UCI Road World Championships
    3rd Open de Suède Vårgårda TTT
    3rd Chrono Champenois – Trophée Européen
    4th Overall Giro d'Italia Femminile
    7th Overall Giro del Trentino Alto Adige-Südtirol
       1st Stage 2
    10th Overall Emakumeen Euskal Bira

### 2014

    Oceania Road Championships
       1st Time trial
       3rd Road race
    National Road Championships
       2nd Time trial
       9th Road race
    3rd Overall BeNe Ladies Tour
    4th Open de Suède Vårgårda TTT
    6th Time trial, Commonwealth Games
    10th Overall Emakumeen Euskal Bira

### 2015

    National Road Championships
       1st Time trial
       3rd Road race
    1st Crescent Women World Cup Vårgårda TTT
    3rd Team time trial, UCI Road World Championships
    10th Overall Giro d'Italia Femminile

### 2016

    2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
    2nd Overall Gracia–Orlová
    Crescent Vårgårda UCI Women's WorldTour
       3rd Team time trial
       9th Road race
    7th Draai van de Kaai
    8th 7-Dorpenomloop Aalburg
    8th Ridderronde Maastricht
    10th Chrono Champenois

### 2017

    1st Overall Tour de Charente-Maritime
       1st Stages 1 & 2 (ITT)
    National Road Championships
       2nd Time trial
       5th Road race
    2nd Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria
    3rd Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan
    5th La Flèche Wallonne Féminine
    5th La Course by Le Tour de France
    6th Strade Bianche
    7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    8th Women's Tour de Yorkshire

### 2018

    National Road Championships
       3rd Time trial
       7th Road race
    6th La Flèche Wallonne
    7th Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria
    7th Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan
    8th Overall Setmana Ciclista Valenciana
    8th Overall Women's Tour de Yorkshire
    9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

### 2019

    National Road Championships
       4th Road race
       5th Time trial
    4th Durango-Durango Emakumeen Saria
    9th Overall Tour de Bretagne Féminin
    9th Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan