Charlotte Millington will be the first cyclist taking to the streets of Uruguay when she competes for Bermuda in the Pan American Road Championships on Wednesday.

Millington is competing in the junior women’s time-trial, which consists of one lap around Punta del Este, a seaside city in the southeast of Uruguay, and the road race on Friday with the event representing her biggest test so far.

The 17-year-old, who has previously won gold at the Caribbean Championships, expects to be nervous as she prepares to roll away from the start line but is hopeful of putting in a good performance.

“I’m very excited to be here,” Millington said. “I think I’ve made a lot of progress in the last six months so regardless of the result of either of these races I can be proud of the work I have put in up to this point.

“I’m a very nervous person so I’m expecting that to be the case on the start line but at this point I’ve trained well, and I have a plan for nutrition so to a certain extent the rest is out of my control, which I have to focus on when I do get nervous.

“Obviously I'm also very excited and grateful that I can be here representing Bermuda and I know I'm going to take a lot away from this event.”

Given the lack of information available, Millington is unsure of the standard of opponents she will be up against in the time-trial but is hoping she can enjoy the experience.

“I haven't been to this big of a race before, so I don't know the riders who are going to be here or how good they are,” she said.

“I have some personal goals for the time-trial but for the road race I hope I can ride well, be active in the group and take it as a huge learning experience which I can build on in the future.”

Peter Dunne, president of the Bermuda Bicycle Association, feels now is the right time to test Millington at this level.

“We think this is a good opportunity for Charlotte to experience the next level of competition and in an event comprised of only riders in her age group,” he said.

“She has shown that she is competitive in the Caribbean so this is the next step. She is continuing to show progress in her strength and endurance, and she needs to be exposed to more events where the tactical part of the equation is involved. But we have no expectations for the placing in these races, just the experience.”