John Archibald resets after missing out on Eolo-Kometa's Giro d'Italia

The 30-year-old, who rides for UCI Pro team Eolo-Kometa was in the frame to make the line up for the race, one of cycling three Grand Tours along with the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana.

But after the team's final warm-up race, last week's three-day Tour of Asturias he didn't make the cut.

"It's disappointing. I was in the fight but they have gone with other options," admitted John who was recruited by British former Tour rider and yellow jersey wearer Sean Yates.

Eolo-Kometa, registered in Italy and based in Spain, is managed by former Giro winner Ivan Basso and Tour champion Alberto Contador.

And despite his Giro setback, Archibald is still savouring being able to compete at such an elite level.

He said: "It's been tough going, finding your feet in a new level of racing.

"I've had a lot of high level racing experiences that very few people get so you've got to take the opportunities when they come."

Recruited as a specialist time triallist, Archibald’s first Eolo-Kometa rides were the Almeria Classic and Laigueglia Trophy one-day races.

His first stage race was the prestigious Tirreno-Adriatico in Italy, which did feature a time trial. Unfortunately for Archibald it was the last stage at the end of a tough week.

He said: "It was good to start with. The first couple of stages went well, I got in a breakaway in stage two and got some good riding there.

"But it gradually got harder and harder to the point where I was just trying to survive rather than do much.

"The last stage was a time trial which was supposed to suit me but I couldn't give it what I wanted to give it in terms of my output, I was already very tired by that point and struggled to do what I would expect to do in a time trial."

And his second stage race experience in Asturias last weekend?

"Seriously hilly," he gasped. "I knew going there there was no time trial, it was just three hilly stages and I would have a job to do for the team, getting in breakaways or helping GC riders.

"I knew it was going to be tough - for example stage two was over 200 kilometres, six hours of riding and 4,500 metres of climbing and it just went on and on, it was so hard.

"But I did everything I could to help the team out and it was great experience racing at a high level, even though the terrain didn't necessarily suit me particularly."

With the Giro taking the team's main focus attention for the next three weeks Archibald now has some down time to train and prepare for a return to racing in June.

He said: "They've taken me on as someone who could maybe do some good time trials in races, get in some breakaways and help out the leaders as such.

"I've done OK getting into breakaways in Laigueglia and Tirreno but there's been limited time trials, just the one at Tirreno which was 10 kilometres at the end of a stage race. But there's still a long season ahead."