"Former European-based pro Pat McCarty, who had announced last fall that he would join Rock Racing for the 2010 season, has signed on with the new Yahoo Cycling Team on a provisional basis. McCarty’s primary team now is the Richardson Bike Mart/Matrix team.
McCarty, 28, has raced for U.S. Postal, Discovery, Phonak and Garmin-Slipstream, and raced for Team OUCH last season. He will race with Yahoo for the Redlands Bicycle Classic and the Sea Otter Classic, the team said. The deal was reached Friday..."
OK, so the career trajectory is USPS - Discovery - Phonak - Garmin-Slipstream - Ouch - the Richardson Bike Mart/Matrix team ... ?
No disrespect to Pat McCarty, I just use his career path and current situation as an example - a point of departure for future discussion (of which doping won't play a major role). If McCarty's career path was plotted like a line graph, it would move from left to right on the x-axis, and top to bottom on the y-axis, though with a somewhat variable slope. [Update: other have suggested that USPS to Discover to Phonak to Garmin is lateral or horizontal movement, with the next change to Ouch the first real "drop."]
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!Does it mean that the rider is
Based on carer trajectory alone, I'm ringing Ed Hood and suggesting he track down Pat McCarty to find out exactly what happened. Erin Hartwell probably would have chose to hang up the cleats after Rock folded and take a year off to work on that PhD., but maybe Pat McCarty just loves to ride.
Pat - if you're reading this, drop me a line - let's chat. Or at the least let me give you Ed Hood's contact info!
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For a young American rider, those were pretty much lateral moves until Ouch.
ReplyDeleteAnd once a rider ceases to be a young rider with promise and is a just another rider without results, his European options become limited. Of course those teams are going to give his spot to a younger riders who is cheaper and who might develop.
The move to OUCH and then Rock racing puts him near to the top of the domestic scene, a natural tarnsition for someone looking to to give it a go for a couple more years.
Mike Creed, Danny Pate, Mike Friedman...all clean riders, good riders, who have taken a similar path. I see no defeat or dishonor in any of their careers.
No defeat or dishonor in any of their careers - but what happens to drop a rider to the Richardson Bike Mart/Matrix team after he's been at the top-level in Europe?
ReplyDeleteDoes McCarty prefer to race in the USA? Could he have found work somewhere else in Europe or somewhere in the third world for better pay or in more exotic races?
I agree that he was moving laterally until Ounch. Is anyone familiar with any recent interviews he might have given?
"but what happens to drop a rider to the Richardson Bike Mart/Matrix team "
ReplyDeleteFor one thing, turning 27 years old happens.
That means that you can't help a team meet a Continental Pro Team meet their age requirement.
As for European opportunities, what team is going to sign a 27 year old American bottle carrier when they can have a 23 year old hometown bottle carrier ?
After that, you come home to race. That means OUCH, Rock Racing or Bissel if you want to have any salary. He chose Rock, they've gone belly up.
Its really not that hard to connect those dots, unless you're trying to make some veiled point.
There is a little irony in visiting your site today as one of the ads on your google avertiser is for hgh...I know you have zero control over the ads but it does show how relatively easy it is to get the goods if you wanted to.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with evrything Joe- I am sure these are tough times for you so stay positive.
Furthermore, given the timing of the Rock non-license situation (and probably some foot-dragging on the part of McCarty waiting for this predictable outcome) it's likely that options have dried up and this is a placeholder to keep the legs moving while (hopefully) looking for more impressive future employment.
ReplyDeleteFat Chance, I commented on just that irony. Look what happened:
ReplyDeletehttp://joepapp.blogspot.com/2009/10/pappillon-does-not-encourage-sale-of.html
ROTFLMFAO.
luckylaud: my veiled point was how does a rider with all that experience and talent get sucked into the Rock Racing debacle and leave himself without a plan B? And what does that say about the rider, if anything? Was it just bad luck, or bad judgment?
ReplyDeleteWhen are you going to jail and for how long?
ReplyDeleteidiot anon 20:07
ReplyDelete