If the presence of a younger Australian like Sebastian Berwick within the line-up of the Caja Rural-Seguros RGA staff on the Volta a Catalunya is eye-catching, it’s not simply because at 24 the rider from Brisbane already generated a number of curiosity for his climbing and GC potential in lower-category UCI races just like the Alsace Tour and Alps Isère.
Berwick can be simply the second Australian ever to be a part of the Caja Rural-Seguros RGA staff in its present format. This primary – as likelihood would have it – was Nick Schultz (Israel-Premier Tech), the winner of the opening stage of this yr’s Volta a Catalunya, who raced with the Spanish staff in 2017 and 2018.
Again within the late Nineteen Eighties, top-level Aussie domestique Neil Stephens, now a sports activities director at Bahrain Victorious, additionally did a season’s stint with Caja Rural earlier than the Spanish financial savings financial institution give up sponsoring professional biking for over a decade. Since they started backing a professional squad once more in 2010, international racers of the calibre of Hugh Carthy and Michal Kwiatkowski have additionally lower their skilled enamel with the staff.
Berwick involves the staff after three years at Israel-Premier Tech, and a troublesome winter on account of sickness. Nonetheless, he says he’s immensely having fun with each taking a path much less travelled, for Australians at the least, at Caja Rural and steadily constructing his kind in the direction of the squad’s first massive purpose of the season, Itzulia-Basque Nation
“The staff’s actually good, everyone’s good, there aren’t any egos, so it’s all good in the meanwhile,” Berwick instructed Cyclingnews at stage 4 of the Volta a Catalunya. “I’m solely actually stepping into the racing now, however day by day I’m getting higher. I’ve bought Basque Nation arising so hopefully this week will actually get me into it.”
Requested about how his departure from Israel-Premier Tech ended up with him signing for Caja Rural, he says merely that, “I suppose it’s simply the brutal world of biking,’cos I used to be struggling a bit of bit. However they helped me out and gave me a contract and every little thing and I’m actually grateful for that.”
Israel-Premier Tech and Caja Rural-Seguros RGA are each within the Professional Crew class, but it surely’s honest to say the previous are much more high-profile than the latter. Nonetheless as Berwick sees it, he’ll get his probabilities to shine within the Spanish staff, regardless.
“I knew all the apparent issues coming into it, finances performs an enormous position in it, and every little thing you’d think about could be completely different, is completely different. So it’s not a shock I suppose.”
“I’ve bought a very good race program, so I’m actually glad about that and hopefully I’ll get a number of alternatives, breakaways as you say, and perhaps after I get higher kind I can go for GC in some races as properly.”
As a resident of Andorra when in Europe, he’s bought no issues attending to the place the staff are based mostly in Pamplona, Spain, and in the case of racing, his goals are additionally within the north of the nation, too, he mentioned. Moreover, using for a squad with such deep biking roots has its personal particular attraction as properly.
“It’s actually tremendous cool to see a sponsor keep round for thus a few years, too, that’s good to see as properly.”
“And Itzulia is a giant purpose, significantly once we haven’t bought the Vuelta a España” – this yr the staff missed out on a wildcard – “in order that’s super-big for the staff and a key a part of the yr now.”
If Berwick’s form-building leads him to be in high situation for the six-day Basque race, no one within the staff may have any goal. However extra importantly, maybe, at Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Berwick now has a contemporary likelihood to indicate his potential all through the entire season and in every kind of races.
