Kaden Hopkins and Nic Narraway will take on some of the best cyclists in the region in the elite time-trial at the Pan American Championships on Thursday.

The two riders will complete a 38-kilometre course around Punto del Este in Uruguay and Hopkins has high hopes of making the podium after finishing third at the event in 2023 and fourth last year.

“Every year when I come here I hope to make the podium,” Hopkins said.

“I made the podium two years ago in Panama and last year I was fourth, so I was pretty close. Last year I don’t think I was at the same level that I do this year. I’m definitely hoping for a podium and I would be satisfied with that.

Hopkins has already made a reconnaissance of the course and is still expecting to perform well despite the course not playing to his strengths.

“We’ve done six or seven laps of the course now,” he said.

“It’s not complicated, it’s flat, there’s no climbs and it’s just two turnarounds. For Nic and I, we’re not the biggest riders so having hills on the course or some technical aspect to it is normally better for us than just straight lines.”

The Bermudian moved to Guadeloupe last month to continue his cycling career and feels in top shape ahead of his biggest race of the year.

“Before I went to Guadeloupe I did a huge block of training in Spain so between January and March I did about 7,000 kilometres on the bike,” he said.

“I did a lot of volume and then when I got to Guadeloupe and started racing there, the intensity was a massive benefit to peak for this goal as it’s impossible to get that intensity anywhere else.

“The first weekend of racing I didn’t feel the best but every week of racing since I’ve felt better and better. In the lead-in to a race like this coaches will give you some training and time at race intensity and I’m feeling really good.

“It’s going to be an ambitious pacing strategy for the TT but it’s the biggest event and the highest level of competition I’ll have this year. I have the base, the intensity and I’m feeling ready.”

Narraway is making the jump from under-23 to elite level for the first time at these championships and is looking forward to comparing his talents against some of the region’s top performers.

“Going to the elites is a step up, but I’m ready for it,” Narraway said.

“I know that I am at the level I need to be at, so I’m confident I can line up and be competitive. I’m excited to test myself against the best in the region.

“A good result would be executing my races well and performing at or near my best. If I can do that and be pushing towards the front end, I’ll be happy. It’s also about gaining experience and continuing to grow.”

Narraway has been forced to overcome a recent illness but is happy with his form ahead of the race.

“I’ve been racing a lot from February through to April, which gave me a solid base and a good feel for where I’m at,” he said.

“Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve put a bit of focus specifically on this event and did a training block. I had a bit of a setback with illness earlier in the season which has taken a while to get over, but I’ve been building back well and feel like things are coming together at the right time.”

Charlotte Millington was the first rider in action in Uruguay, finishing eleventh of the 17 cyclists in the junior women’s time-trial in 21min 25.38sec. The race was won by Colombian Luciano Bentancur in 18:50.66