Having switched his allegiance from Australia to Ireland, McCarthy will ride for UK Continental team JLT-Condor and will base himself in Ireland from March (Photo with thanks to JLT-Condor)
Already with his first few races and a training camp under his belt with new team JLT-Condor, Robert Jon McCarthy will return to Europe and base himself in Ireland for the coming season.
The former Australian international and Australian national junior champion will be eligible to race for Ireland this year.
And as well as hoping to wear the green of the country of his birth, he also plans to base himself here and ride some events here, with the An Post Rás just one such race.
Advertisement
The 22-year-old’s family is originally from the Fermoy area in Co Cork but emigrated to Australia when he was a child, though not before he won four Irish youth titles at U12 and U14 level.
A cousin of well known Irish riders Eoin and David McCarthy, he continued racing in youth events in Australia and went on to become national junior road race champion there.
He also gained national selection and competed in the Australian colours as a junior at the World Championships and the also in the U23 Nations Cup series in Europe.
Leading the way, riding in the white jersey of a composite team, during the Mitchelton Bay Classic series this week in Australia. He stays there until March when he returns for the European racing season.
As a junior he beat Caleb Ewan in a sprint for the Australian road title and at the Worlds later that year, 2012, helped Ewan to a silver medal in Valkenburg.
He took the opening stage of the An Post Rás in 2014 while riding for An Post Chainreaction.
But when he went to SEG Racing for the following season he decided cycling was not for him halfway through that campaign.
Related News
He returned to Australia and took a break from the sport but of late has been back on his bike and secured a place with UK Continental team JLT-Condor for 2017.
The team is currently in Australia, where McCarthy has ridden some of the Mitchelton Bay Classic criteriums and spent time training with his new team mates.
And he has told stickybottle he is happy with his condition considering he is returning to the sport after a lengthy break.
The JLT-Condor team on a training ride in the Australian sunshine; it's a dirty job but... (Photo with thanks to JLT-Condor)
He added he would return to Europe in March and would base himself in Fermoy, where he still has lots of extended family to keep him company and offer assistance.
While he will obviously race with JLT-Condor in the UK and wherever else team duties take him, he plans to do some racing in Ireland.
“Maybe events like the Des Hanlon and the Visit Nenagh Classic and I’d like to go well in the Rás,” he offered of the Irish events he will ride if in Ireland, rather than racing abroad, on those race dates.
And having lost 15kg in recent months, he said he was happy with his run out in the recent Mitchelton Bay Classic series in Australia.
“As a team we are off to a super start taking out 1st and 2nd in the series with Ian Bibby and Matt Gibson,” he said.
“I took a top 15 myself on day one and was on team duties days two and three, riding at the front of the peloton.
“I was really pleased with my form so early into the comeback; I’ve had just three months of serious training so far.
“I’m right down to my race weight already now, so I’m happy with where I'm at so early in the year.”
Topics
