By August last year, Brendan Canty had completed his final race with the Drapac squad, bringing down the curtains on his 2016 season at the Volta a Portugal. Fast forward to 2017 and the 25-year-old is midway through a two-week block of altitude training in Andorra aiming to ensure his place on Cannondale-Drapac's Vuelta a Espana squad.
A runner before turning his attention to cycling, Canty spent 2015 at Continental level with Budget Forklifts before moving to the Pro-Conti ranks with Drapac and completed the move into the WorldTour in 2017. The trilingual Melbournian has had a taste of top WorldTour stage racing at Critérium du Dauphiné, Tour de Romandie, and Volta a Catalunya and is hungry for the Vuelta.
"It's not 100 per cent confirmed. I am quite hopeful to have a start there and that's why I am up here in Andorra training at the altitude," Canty told Cyclingnews on a rest day from his training programme. "Lots of things can always change last minute but I am pretty sure that there is a good chance I'll be on the start line. At last least I am hoping there is a good chance."
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Canty explained that is place on the Cannondale-Drapac long list for the Spanish Grand Tour was a combination of both rider and team proposing the idea.
"It is a bit of both. I would really like to do it. I think it would be a huge challenge for me and I think it would be something really good to get under my belt for the experience," said Canty. "I think the team sees it in the same light, particularly with me having the contract next year I think it would be the best move for the team to put me in a race like that and see how I cope. Some of the DS's like Jaunma [Garate] says it will be really good for me if I can race a Grand Tour and the earlier you can get one done in your career, then it can make you a better rider in the long term. I really want to do the race and from the team's perspective, there is a lot of perspective putting me into something like the Vuelta."
In his debut WorldTour season, Canty has found himself in a variety of roles and when it comes to the Vuelta and his aims, the 25-year-old is opened minded. But is clear he wants to "finish the race.
Learning and living the WorldTour life
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