James Lowsley-Williams warmed up for the Tour of Britain and told his team-mates to draw inspiration from their heroics in Yorkshire.
The 25-year-old set the tone for a memorable three days at the Tour de Yorkshire in April as he animated the opening stage with his work in the break.
Chris Opie sprinted to third place that day before Harry Tanfield and Dexter Gardias each grabbed combativity jerseys on the second and third stages, respectively.
Lowsley-Williams, who raced the Tour of Britain twice for previous team NFTO, reckons there is no reason his team cannot repeat the feat in September. He said:
“The big goal has been making sure we are in it. And now the focus is on doing a similiar thing there that we did at the Tour de Yorkshire.
“We are in a great position where we have no pressure. Now we have made the tour, whatever we do is a bonus. If we go really well it is going to look incredible.
“I’m sure Tim will go for jerseys, for KOM points, for breaks and all that. And I have no doubt we will come out of it with plenty of positives.
“We came out of the Tour de Yorkshire with so many fans. Everyone seemed to warm to us and how we race. I have no doubt we can do the same again.
“From what we have got, we are doing a very good job. And that is not just the riders, it is the whole support team as well. I couldn’t be happier.”
Lowsley-Williams knows the pressure is on to catch his sports director Elverson’s eye and earn his own spot in the eight-day race.
The former UK Youth rider, who hails from Tetbury in Gloucestershire, has been promoting the race in the Cotswolds, where stage seven will climax on Saturday, September 9.
And he is desperate not to let his neighbours down as they prepare to cheer him on during the 185km dash from Hemel Hempstead to Cheltenham. He said:
“The finish in Cheltenham would be a big one for me but I can’t get too ahead of myself. The first hurdle is getting in the team.
“We have a strong enough squad that any of the boys could ride. The only difference is it is a flat-ish tour, so a lot of it will be surrounding Chris Opie with a powerful team on the flat.
“I would love to make the team, go well, maybe get in the break on stage seven and ride on home roads.
“I have done a fair bit of publicity, so if I don’t I might be in trouble! I seem to be the poster boy for the Cotswolds at the moment, so I’m trying really hard to make the team!”