Dominique Mayho feels better equipped to cope with the demands of a major international competition after his full-time stint with the Ride with Rendall Elite Team.

Mayho has spent the past five months training and competing for the Ontario-based outfit against top young riders in races throughout North America and Europe.

The 21-year-old is now keen to gauge his physical and mental improvement in Toronto, where he will compete in today’s time-trial and the road race on Saturday.

“I feel as though I’ve improved so much in the short space of time that I’ve been with Ride with Rendall,” Mayho said.

“I’ve developed as a cyclist much faster than I would have been able to in Bermuda. I’ve been training and competing at a high level and I’ve really been able to push it to the max in every race.”

Much of Mayho’s work with Ride with Rendall has centred around long-distance racing, and honing his skills at the RWR training camp in Encinitas, California, where he was routinely riding more than 100 miles a day.

Crucially, Mayho has been afforded the relative luxury of being able to fully rest and recuperate after each gruelling session, which he believes has accelerated his development.

It is a far cry from the days when he had to race to work at Winner’s Edge on Front Street after an early morning training session, clocking up the miles on the Island’s roads.

“Being able to relax after a hard session makes such a difference,” Mayho said.

“When I was in Bermuda I was training for four hours in the morning and then going straight to work and standing up all day.

“You just aren’t able to recover and that builds up and you don’t really get much better.”

Playing a supporting role at times for Ride with Rendall has been a new experience for Mayho, who will return to riding alone in Toronto without any team-mates to assist him.

“I know I’m going to have to be patient,” said Mayho, who has enjoyed some strong finishes in Europe, finishing sixth in an under-23 road race in France.

“When you have four or five team-mates riding with you it’s a bit easier because you can work together.

“I’ll pretty much have to chase everything and will have to be careful and make sure I make the right moves.”

Mayho is brimming with confidence after his gold-medal win in the town centre criterium at this month’s NatWest Island Games in Jersey. He has set himself a lofty goal of a top-15 finish in the road race in Toronto.

“I want to try and stay with the lead pack for as long as possible,” Mayho said. “If I’m in a good position then I’d like to push for a top 15.”

Mayho competed at last summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he failed to finish the road race, and expects the competition to be equally as tough this time around.

“The Colombians are always going to be strong, as will the United States,” Mayho said. “Canada will also be looking for success as the host nation. Then you’ve also got the Argentinian and Venezuelan riders. It’s going to be tough.”

Today’s individual time-trial course will be on the roads in Milton, Ontario, near the newly built Cisco Milton Pan Am Velodrome.