John-Lee Augustyn believes he has put his recent struggles firmly behind him now and is looking to put in a determined performance when he lines up for Team Sky at the Vuelta a Burgos this week.

The first half of the season was largely one to forget for the South African, who suffered a niggling knee problem and was forced to travel back to his homeland temporarily due to the conditions of his work visa.

After making his long-awaited return action at the Critérium du Dauphiné in June, Augustyn looked to be nearing full fitness at the Tour of Austria, but further disappointment was to follow when illness struck and he was forced to pull out of the Brixia Tour before the race had reached its conclusion.

After resting up at his base in Italy, the 23-year-old got back into the swing of things at the Clasica San Sebastián and was one of only three Team Sky riders to complete the race. Augustyn was boosted by that performance and is happy to be feeling strong again ahead of the five-stage tour around northern Spain.

He said: "It has been rough for me since the start of the year. The problems in my knee stemmed from my shoe set-up, which meant I couldn't get comfortable on the bike.

"When I was back in South Africa I met up with a specialist in inner sole technology and after trying a few things out I started feeling better right away. It still took time to get used to my new set-up though and when I came back to Europe I found the first few races really hard. It was nice to get back into the swing of things though, both mentally and well as physically.

"By the time the Tour of Austria came around I was feeling really good again. I cycled to sixth place on the second stage and that also meant I got to wear the young rider's jersey for a few days. That was definitely the highlight of my season so far and I ended up in 12th overall.

"It looked like everything was going well at that point but then I got sick at the Brixia Tour. That was a race I'd wanted to do really well in because all my fiancé's family are from that area and they were all came out to support me.

"Unfortunately though, I picked up a virus and had to pull out on the second to last stage to make sure I didn't do any longer-term damage.

"Because of that, I didn't get the chance to ride much before the Clasica San Sebastián, so I was pleasantly surprised by my performance. I felt strong for most of the day and it was only in the final 30km that I began to struggle.

"At 240km it was perhaps a bit too long for me, but it was good training for the races to come and I was happy to battle on to the finish line."

Pushing on

Augustyn is aiming to push on from that encouraging display now and believes the Vuelta a Burgos is the perfect place to step up his progress.

He added: "The type of racing you get in Spain has always suited me and I've had some of my best results there. For some reason my body just seems to respond to the terrain we ride and hopefully it'll be the same this time around.

"I'd like to try and push it really hard and see how far I can go."