By Brian Canty
David McCarthy has joined the growing number of Irish riders on foreign-based pro squads after today being unveiled as a new member of the JLT-Condor team, previously Rapha-Condor.
The 19-year-old Corkman spent a portion of the summer and autumn on a stagiaire with the An Post-Chainreaction team in Belgium. But when there were no vacancies there he was snapped up by the UK-based team.
It is a brilliant move for McCarthy, who has been with the Standard Life Nicolas Roche Performance Team for the past two years.
A statement from the new team read: “Irishman David McCarthy joins JLT Condor following a successful first season as a senior rider, which culminated in the youngster riding the latter part of the 2014 season for the Continental An Post-Chainreaction team in Belgium.
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“McCarthy was part of the Nicholas Roche Development Team for two seasons and has performed well both at home in Ireland, where he competed in his first Rás in 2014, and in Belgium where he rode a number of 1.1 events at the back end of the season.
“In 2015 team manager John Herety will be looking to develop McCarthy’s endurance for the longer tougher events, which the Irishman has already shown an ability to perform in.”
The Continental ranked team boasted two Irish riders in its ranks this year in the shape of first year U23 rider and former junior international Jack Sadler and U23 international and former national criterium champion Felix English.
Under Herety’s guidance English has flourished and has become one of the best riders on the UK pro criterium scene in the past 12 to 18 months.
He started the 2014 season in excellent form in Australia against top flight opposition before a number of wrist injuries interrupted his progress and then brought his season to a close very early.
McCarthy will be looking to produce the same kind of improvement as English in the next couple of seasons.
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