FORMER Blackburn cyclist Joanne Kembery has been thrown in at the deep end for her Great Britain debut.

And she admits to feeling both "petrified and excited" as she prepares to tackle the 530-kilometre Tour of Tuscany next week.

Kembery, whose maiden name was Littler and whose family stills lives in Blackburn, only received her call-up last Monday night after finishing third in the national road-race series over the summer.

However, those events were over 50 miles, rather than the six-day race that starts on Tuesday.

And her lack of a proper build-up has left her with a mixture of emotions prior to flying out to Italy with the six-strong national team on Monday. "I'm not prepared for it, that's the problem," she said. "A six-stage race is not something I normally train for.

"I've spent a lot of time in the saddle this week but it's a bit late really, so I'll just have to go out there and do my best.

"I'm really excited about it but at the same time I'm petrified.

"But it's the opportunity of a lifetime and I wasn't about to let it slip by."

Twenty-eight-yearold Kembery, who used to ride with her husband William with the Blackburn and District CTC club, now lives in Cheltenham and is a member of the Cheltenham and County club.

A cycling proficiency teacher for the local authority, Kembery will be taking a journey into the unknown next week, with little knowledge of the Tuscany course.

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