Teenager Callum Ormiston will make his debut as a stagiaire for ProTouch Continental at the five-day Tour of Iran which starts tomorrow.
The opportunity for the 19-year-old to join the team came when he received a phone call from the team manager while racing in Belgium.
“I achieved a few good results there,” he said, adding that he felt well prepared after a tough training block ahead of the Iranian road tour.
“I’m really excited and ready for the challenge. It’s the opportunity I’ve been waiting for,” said Ormiston.
Callum Ormiston will make his debut as a stagiaire for ProTouch at the Tour of Iran which starts tomorrow. Photo: Henk Neuhoff
Although unsure what precisely to expect, he said he had trained as if it would be the hardest race he had ever participated in.
“The goal is to finish the tour and help my teammates where I can,” said Ormiston, who will line up alongside Eddie van Heerden, Rohan du Plooy, James Fourie, Clint Hendricks and Kent Main.
“This is a pretty experienced team so I’m sure I can learn a lot from these guys which will prepare me better for future challenges.
“I’m ready to give my all to the team.”
This will not be Ormiston’s first international tour, but it will be his debut UCI 2.1 tour.
“I’ve never done a tour with over 150km every day, but I believe I’m ready to take on the challenge.”
He said he most looked forward to competing at a higher level against other professional teams.
“It’s a massive opportunity and a dream come true to race at this level. I believe I have what it takes to succeed in cycling. This is just the beginning.”
Ormiston said his principal objective would be to help his team’s general classification rider finish on the top step this week.
“Other than that I hope to secure a full-time role in the conti team for 2020. Becoming national U23 champion is another goal I hope to fulfil in the next couple of years.”
He said the team had gained valuable experience racing around the world this year and he felt this knowledge would benefit him if selected for next year.
“It’s imperative that we race internationally and this team are doing just that.”
In the long term Ormiston said he hoped to make it onto the World Tour stage.
