Australian likely to be "thrown in deep-end" for European debut
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Jordan Kerby will ride for Christina Watches-Onfone in 2013(Image credit: Daniel Simms)
Jordan Kerby (Jayco - Honey Shotz) gets the Stage 7 win at the Tour of Gippsland(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Jordan Kerby (Jayco / Apollo / VIS) and Gordon McCauley (Drapac) had a maximum advantage of 16 seconds on the peloton(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Darren Lapthorne (Drapac) front, and Jordan Kerby (Jayco - Honey Shotz) get away from the peloton(Image credit: Mark Gunter)
Queenslands' Jordan Kerby and Mitchell Mulhearn(Image credit: CJ Farquharson/WomensCycling.net)
It's not uncommon for Australians to follow in eachother's footsteps when it comes to signing for a new team but 20-year-old Jordan Kerby instead utilised his time racing in Asia to find himself an entry into the European peloton.
It was at the tours in China that the young Australian first showed himself and eventually landed a professional contract with Christina Watches-Onfone, along with countryman Mitchell Lovelock-Fay.
"It's definitely different. We [Lovelock-Fay] raced Tour of China I and II and Christina Watches was there," Kerby told Cyclingnews. "We got a few decent results and chatted to them after the off-season started to see if they were interested.”
The team run by Michael Rasmussen has already announced a number of new signings for the coming year. Kerby will ride alongside former Vuelta a España stage and Clásica San Sebastián winner Constantino Zaballa with 22-year-olds Eugert Zhupa and Daniel Aldegheri also set to join in 2013
"I think they also want some diversity in the team so it's worked out well for the both of us."
Kerby admitted he and Lovelock-Fay will likely be thrown straight into the "deep-end" when he travels to Europe shortly after the Australian National Championships but said racing the Tour of Hainan was the best way to finish the year - considering what he'll be up against in 2013.
"I think we are probably going to be thrown in the deep-end which is good because it's the best way to learn," said Kerby.
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"I think it's going to be a whole new level of racing we will have to get used to pretty quickly."
"My last race of the season was Tour of Hainan, in China. I finished off the season with the biggest race I've ever done. It was my first nine-day Tour and it was good to get through it.
"We got to race against Argos-Shimano and Astana so it really opened us up to what we might experience next year," he told Cyclingnews.
After a short break Kerby is already back in training to get into race condition for the Jayco Herald Sun Tour and National Championships held in January. Kerby is hoping the revitalised Sun Tour will provide him with just the right amount of racing before heading to the national championships and then his new home in Italy.
"I had a bit of an off-season so now I'm back training up for Sun Tour and Nationals. John Forest was nice enough to give me a ride with Suzuki-Trek so I'll ride for them at Sun Tour," Kerby told Cyclingnews,
"The plan is to go to Sun Tour and hopefully get some good legs from it before heading to road nationals."
