British rider Hugh Carthy to ride for Cannondale-Drapac in 2017

Hugh Carthy to make WorldTour debut with Cannondale-Drapac in 2017 after impressive season with Spanish team Caja Rural

Hugh Carthy wins the 2016 Vuelta Asturias opener
(Image credit: Watson)

British rider Hugh Carthy will ride for the Cannondale-Drapac team from the 2017 season, the American WorldTour squad confirmed on Tuesday.

Carthy has enjoyed a stand-out year so far with Spanish squad Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, winning the Vuelta a Asturias overall and placing ninth overall at the Volta a Catalunya, where he also topped the best young rider classification.

The 22-year-old had previously ridden for the British-based Rapha-Condor team, where he originally caught the eye of Cannondale sports director and former professional Charly Wegelius. Carthy revealed that he and Wegelius have been in regular contact throughout this season - and the two historically shared a trainer.

Reportedly, Carthy was offered deals with other teams but settled on Cannondale.

>>> Hugh Carthy becomes first British rider to win Vuelta a Asturias

“I spoke to Charly a lot over the past year or so. It’s quite relaxed it seems," Carthy said of his signing to the Cannondale-Drapac team.

Hugh Carthy wins stage one of the 2016 Vuelta Asturias

Hugh Carthy wins stage one of the 2016 Vuelta Asturias
(Image credit: Watson)

"The team roster at the moment has quite a lot of young riders, also experienced riders. I think that mix is something that’s important. It’s something I’ve had here, with my current team, for the past two years.

“You have the guidance as well but at the same time you have some freedom. That balance was what I was looking for on a team, and Cannondale-Drapac seemed the best fit for that criteria."

Wegelius said of Carthy: "We’ve got a shared past, which isn’t the reason I went after him but the reason he came to my attention quite early.

>>> Brit Hugh Carthy battles with Nairo Quintana on Route du Sud mountain stage

"He’s trained by the guy who trained me when I was a young rider, Ken Matheson, and then he raced with John Herety at Rapha. I’ve always tracked him, kept an eye on him.”

Cannondale-Drapac CEO Jonathan Vaughters gave a glowing assessment of Carthy's talent, saying: "In my opinion probably the best young stage-racing talent out of the UK, if not period. I think he’s got a big future in three-week races, and we want to help him develop into the best rider he can be."

Long-term, Carthy is aiming to ride in Grand Tours and his performance against some of the best climbers in the world this season would suggest that he has enormous potential.

On Monday, it was announced that British rider Jon Dibben would join Cannondale-Drapac for the remainder of the 2016 season as a stagiaire.

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.