Hugh Carthy on disappointing season: "Now we can write this chapter off and really move forward"
Cycling
Hugh Carthy has finished third and on the podium of the 2020 Vuelta a Espana. For a stage-racer and Grand Tour contender it was a brilliant result, and the proof Carthy could fight for the win at a Grand Tour. Ever since that year however, he's not been able to replicate the same results.
“It's not been a great season," Carthy admitted in an interview with Cyclingnews. "I've had some good results in the Giro, a top ten, and it's a quite strong performance there. It still wasn't what I was after this year, which has been up and down with illness and stuff. So yeah, it's not been a perfect year but I think you sometimes have these years in your career where things don't go too well.”
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2021 wasn't a perfect year, finishing 8th at the Giro d'Italia, but he has won the queen stage at the Vuelta a Burgos, giving the Briton some success out of the season. 2022 however did not see the scenario repeat itself.
“I think I'd have want wanted more if I'd been saying in January what I wanted out of the season, but if someone also had said you are going to have a bad year but you're still going to finish top ten in a Grand Tour then I probably would have signed up for that in January as well," he continues.
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“To be philosophical about it, it could have been a lot worse, but it could have been better and there is still stuff to take away from it. It's been a bit of a transitional period for the team since the pandemic, with riders leaving, riders coming," he mentioned. With Olympic champion Richard Carapaz signing into 2023, the American team will aim higher at the Grand Tours, where Carthy may play a crucial role.
"It's really changed the dynamic of the team. I think now if we can settle into some consistency the next couple of years and, and find our way again – now with EF still here to stay and all the sponsors here to stay – I think we could really start making some tracks like we were in 2019, 2020 before the pandemic hit hard," he said.
In 2022 Carthy once again focused in the Giro, but would only ride into 9th place in Verona. His build-up to the Vuelta a Espana didn't prove successful, as he failed to fight for a place in the overall classification. “It's been a hard season for everyone, stressful and everyone's performed in a way to sort of get us over the line and keep everything going,” he said.
The 28-year old looked to save his season at the late Tour de Langkawi, however he was just short of a stage and GC win, coming second to Iván Sosa in the Malaysian stage-race. “So I think now we can write this chapter off and really move forward. The team's in a good position now going into the next three years. I think we can race to different circumstances next year," he concluded.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
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