Young Australian Jay McCarthy will be the sole Tinkoff rider to take part in the upcoming Australian Road National Championships. Although feeling in good form, McCarthy reckons it will be a tough race as WorldTour and Pro Continental teams will field full squads.

Just a few hours after the start of the new year, Tinkoff's Jay McCarthy was busy gearing up for the 2016 season. On New Year's Day, he raced in the Daniel Bennett Memorial Trophy, a small, one-hour criterium in Queensland. He got away with four other riders and prevailed in the final sprint, claiming his first victory of the year.

McCarthy has spent the last month in his native Australia, taking advantage of the summer time to focus on his training program. "I'm lucky to call Australia my home, which means I haven't had to battle cold conditions like my Europe-based teammates usually have to face during European winter. I've had a good training period, I was also able to rest and I feel that everything went smoothly", commented McCarthy.

Nevertheless, just like all other Australian riders in the peloton, McCarthy's sight is firmly set on the season's big opener, the Australian Road National Championships. Australia's finest will battle it out once again in Ballarat for the coveted green and gold jersey.

The Australian Nationals kick off on Wednesday, January 6th, with a 44km-long criterium race on the streets of downtown Ballarat. "I will use that criterium as a warm-up and I think it's good to open up for Sunday's actual race. Following a two-month period out of racing, the New Year's Day memorial race and that criterium are a good way to get up to speed and into race-form", commented McCarthy.

The iconic Mount Buninyong circuit will see Australia's top riders fight on Sunday, January 10th. At 183.6km long and with a 1.5km climb on Mount Buninyong Road, it will be a technical race. Australian-based teams such as Orica-GreenEdge and Drapac will have an undisputed advantage just by the sheer force of numbers. Fielding squads with up to ten riders, they will be able to set their terms and control the race. Nevertheless, McCarthy feels comfortable he could have a good result if he plays his cards right.

"The course is pretty tough, with a 1.5km climb in each lap, but it can suit me on a good day. However, it will be difficult, as I'm the only Tinkoff rider and teams like Orica-GreenEdge and Drapac will field squads of close to ten riders. I will have to make sure I go after the right moves and follow riders such as Simon Gerrans in the later part of the race", commented McCarthy.

"I'm looking to have a good result there. It's a course that suits me and I feel I'm in pretty good shape after last month's training. I'm confident I can have quite a good start in the 2016 season. The Nationals will be a very good form indicator and hopefully, I will also be ready for the team at the Santos Tour Down Under a week later", concluded McCarthy.

Tinkoff will announce its full lineup and ambitions for the Santos Tour Down Under in the following days. The team will be without Michael Rogers who has had to postpone his debut due to a heart condition.