Mountain bike rider Emily Parkes credits her move to the "cycling Mecca of Australia" for her new contract with the ACT Academy of Sport.
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Parkes took up the sport in 2009 after watching a race day in her home town of Coffs Harbour in 2009, and began competing in 2011.
She joined the Torq Nutrition Australia team in 2012 and they have overseen her training since.
But immersing herself in Canberra has helped take her cycling to the next level.
"There's a lot better training facilities [in Canberra] and several mountain bike parks to train at," she said.
"There are a lot more high-end racers living here so I've got people to train with and motivate me.
"The facilities that ACTAS will provide to me with, and tips on nutrition and seeing a sports psychologist help a lot with racing."
Her coach, Mark Fenner, feels Parkes is a special talent.
"One of the standout things for Em is her technical ability, she's very gifted on the bike as well as having a great application to training," Fenner said.
"She's progressively gotten better year on year and after having looked after many athletes, the ability to get better incrementally over time is that key differentiator."
It hasn't been all smooth sailing since relocating to Canberra, with the 19-year-old having two bikes worth more than $10,000 stolen from the University of Canberra campus in February 2014.
It forced her to borrow a teammate's bike for a leg of the National Mountain Bike Series at Mt Buller.
But Parkes admitted that was just one issue she had faced in her pursuit of a career in the sport.
"In terms of my racing development it's been a struggle as there aren't as many females in the sport, so I don't have the next level of competition unless I go overseas."
Parkes finished 27th at last year's world championships, held in Norway, and will be heading to Europe again in August to compete at the world cup in Italy and then the world championships in Andorra.
Her ultimate goal though has always been to represent her country at an Olympic Games.
While Rio 2016 had been mentioned as a possibility, Australia having only one guaranteed female qualification spot complicates matters.
"Just at my age Rio might be a little unachievable with the other girls we have," Parkes said.
"They say you peak in your mid to late twenties in mountain biking.
"We have a World Cup in Cairns next year, so that will be my big focus, to get my name out there in the international scene."
