Ryan Bailie plans to ride his rich vein of ITU World Triathlon Series form all the way to Rio after securing a place at his first Olympic Games.
Bunbury-raised Bailie grabbed the last remaining automatic spot on the Australian team with both hands, finishing fourth in a world-class field at the WTS event on the Gold Coast on Saturday.
The 26-year-old is the highest-ranked Australian in the series at No.8 on the back of a sensational last 18 months, which included five top-10 finishes in the WTS last year.
So instead of wrapping himself in cotton wool and zeroing in on his Olympic debut at Fort Copacabana, Bailie says he plans to continue to race in the series and keep his momentum rolling.
"For me, I wouldn't really like to change too much. Obviously it is the Olympic Games, but I think people can get caught in that trap of changing things too drastically," he said.
"I'm a racer, I love racing.
"I won't probably have to go to Yokohama, but I still enjoy going there because it's on the way to Europe anyway.
"We'll see what we do post there."
Bailie joins training partner and good mate Aaron Royle in the Australian team, with the third spot up to selectors to allocate at their discretion.
Royle finished 17th, admitting he struggled in the unyielding heat on the tough Southport Broadwater course and feared his cramping calf would give way.
In contrast to Wollongong Wizards teammate Bailie, Royle will now recharge his batteries and won't race until June.
"We've approached the year a little bit differently and, for me, knowing that I was on the team last year meant I could just concentrate on that one day on August 18," he said.
"It's not nice to turn up to a race and not be where you would normally be, but with August 18 in mind, I just had to accept my best day is still ahead of me this year."
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