Jack Sadler worked for a plant hire firm before signing for Rapha Condor JLT this offseason, where he was cleaning and driving heavy machinery.
But now the Ulverston Arrow, as he is known, is going from diggers to Down Under as he prepares to fly to Australia as a professional cyclist.
The 18-year-old and five of his Rapha teammates fly out to their winter training base in Bendigo, near Melbourne, on Wednesday, where they will be based until February.
"It'll be different to spend a whole winter over there," Sadler said.
"We're out there for a training block, to finish the last part of the winter training and to prepare for the season and get some good racing in."
Sadler is taking nothing for granted in his new team and hopes to learn a lot around new teammates, including Olympic gold medalist Ed Clancy, and former British champion Kristian House.
"Even just sat in the hotel room just talking to them you can learn loads," he said
"I'm incredibly lucky to have this opportunity to learn and develop here.
"In my eyes it's the perfect place for my development with John [Herety, team manager] and my coach Ken [Matheson].
"I'm looking forward to learning and developing under John's management."
And the youngster from the Lake District, who holds an Irish passport, has set some high targets for his future.
"I'd love to ride the [U23] world championships [for Ireland] in 2014, but it's in Spain which is a bit hilly, so I don't think it would suit me," he said.
"In the long run I want to target the U23 Worlds in Qatar in 2016.
"There's only about six roads in Qatar and they're all flat so I think that'll be one to go for as I'll have got some experience and developed a bit by then."
But Sadler keeps himself grounded by continuing to ride with the Lakes Road Club on their club rides, a club he's been with since the age of nine.
"[They] put a piece up on their website as soon as it was announced that I was joining Rapha," he said.
"I think it's good for them to see someone from our area doing something like this."
Forget distance covered, these are the key stats to note in your Strava Year in Sport
'She should show a bit more respect' - Lotte Kopecky responds to Demi Vollering comments
