Peter Kennaugh will be "going into the unknown" when he makes his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España, but is delighted to have been given the chance to compete in one of cycling's biggest events and will be soaking up as much knowledge as he can during the 21 days of action.

The 21-year-old has adapted to the rigours of the senior peloton brilliantly since stepping up to the professional ranks at the start of the season and Bradley Wiggins has already tipped him as a potential Grand Tour contender of the future.

His third-placed finish at last year's Baby Giro certainly adds weight to that claim, but Kennaugh feels such predictions are far too premature given that he has yet to take part in a race of this length, and insists he still has a lot to learn before such conclusions can be made.

He said: "The Baby Giro was only 10 stages long and I was racing as an amateur - the Vuelta is over twice as long as that and I'll be among the best riders in the world. It's totally different from anything I've ever done before.

"Who knows what I'm going to be feeling like after 10 days on the bike, let alone 21? Having never ridden a Grand Tour before, it's impossible to know if I'll be any good at them and whether that type of racing will suit me.

"Most Grand Tour riders don't come into their prime until they've picked up a lot of experience, and I need to learn a lot more before I can decide where I want to specialise. I do like hillier stage races though, so we'll have to see."

The Manxman's primary goal for the tour is to make it to the finish line in Madrid on 19 September, but he will be hoping to make an impression along the way, whilst also working hard for the other members of the team.

He added: "I'll be looking to ride as aggressively as I can and maybe get in a few breakaways, but the main goal is to get 21 days of racing in my legs and do my job for the team. If I can do that it will aid my development and make me stronger for the years to come.

"As for our chances, we've got a good mix of riders here and hopefully we can get some good results. Thomas Löfkvist is our main GC man, but Swifty will be trying to get up there in the bunch sprints, and Simon Gerrans is always a contender if he makes it into a breakaway.

"We haven't got all our eggs in one basket, that's for sure, and everyone will have the freedom to race for themselves a bit."

Solid start

One stage the squad are hoping to perform particularly well in is the opening team time trial on Saturday night, which sees the riders taking on a floodlit circuit around the centre of Seville.

Kennaugh is excited by the prospect of such a novel event and is hoping the team's preparation in the days before the race can bear fruit:

"It's going to be a weird sensation, that's for sure, but we've done our research, trained hard, and everyone's up for it.

"It's actually not the first time I've ridden at night. I did the Newport Nocturne a few years ago when I was a junior. On that occasion, even though that was well lit, it was still hard to see at times so hopefully everything will be alright on the night in Seville and we can come out with a decent result."