WAGGA cyclist Zac Barnhill has set his sights on farewelling the country in style at next month's national championships after competing in Adelaide for the first time.
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The iconic Tour Down Under was replaced by the Santos Festival of Cycling due to COVID this year, and the 18-year-old was invited to compete with the undermanned St George Continental team.
Barnhill finished 49th in the general classification and 22nd in the young rider category, and will now target the road race and time trial at the national championships in Ballarat from February 3 to 7.
It will be his final big test before he departs for Europe to being a two year deal with Slovenian UCI Continental team Ljubljana Gusto Santic.
"The first two days (in Adelaide) I struggled a bit but I came good in the last two. I struggled with the heat a fair bit," he said.
"It's good to do one of the biggest races in Australia, even though it wasn't a world event race it was still a national one.
"I was invited to join St George because they couldn't get a few of their riders to come over from New Zealand.
It'll probably get a bit more daunting the closer it comes, I'm guessing. It will be very different but it will be great to learn a new way of living.
- Zac Barnhill
"It's good preparation for nationals and I'm in the under-23s now. It could potentially get hot there too so it's good to get used to it."
Barnhill said the butterflies may get more prevalent once his departure to Europe draws closer.
"It'll probably get a bit more daunting the closer it comes, I'm guessing. It will be very different but it will be great to learn a new way of living," he said.
"I'm trying to get a visa but it looks like everything is going according to plan."
Fellow Wagga rider Myles Stewart finished 41st in the general classification at Adelaide.