Many people are confident that Jay McCarthy can become a great cyclist and achieve a palmares similar to that of Simon Gerrans, who beat McCarthy at the Tour Down Under last weekend.

“When Jay came to the team he was one of the best talents coming out of Australia and we were happy to be able to get him on the team,” McCarthy’s Tinkoff DS Tristan Hoffman told VeloNews. “He’s had his moments where he has shown he has a lot of potential, including the Giro and the Tour of Turkey, but I think he showed a lot in the Vuelta a España at the end of the season last year.”

“He really did a fantastic job for Rafal Majka and for the other guys on the team, and he was really stepping up with his performance. He has proven we can give him some freedom to grow – which he is doing as person and as a pro cyclist.”

McCarthy knows that some neo-pros burst onto the scene and win immediately, but he says he has earned his chances t lead the team through hard work and effort and supporting others.

“Some neo-pros come into the pro ranks and perform straight away, and I took a different approach and did a lot more work for the team,” McCarthy told VeloNews during an interview May. “I’m starting to feel now that it’s taking benefit. You may not normally get as much notice for being a worker, but for me I feel my capabilities as a pro have improved greatly the last couple of years because of my working for the team.”

“I’ve grown a lot since Turkey,” McCarthy told VeloNews when they caught up with him after last week’s race. “I haven’t had a lot of big results since then, but I think it gave me the confidence to step up and play a productive role in the races since, and every day I think I’m taking another step in the right direction.”

The 23 year old says he isn’t sure what type of rider he is, after showing fast finishes at the end of hard stages and also an ability to go well on long step climbs like he did at the Vuelta. DS Hoffman agrees that no one knows how far the young man can go, but that he can do great things. 

“Everyone asks me what kind of rider I am, and I tell them I think I’m an all-rounder who can get away with most things, but I’d love to focus on one-week tours and the Ardennes classics,” he said. “Short, sharp climbs are normally what suits me, but I’ve proved I can climb the long, steep ones as well.”

“It’s difficult to say how far Jay can go,” explained Hoffman. “He has already shown in the big tours he has good recovery. We can use him in almost every kind of race, and if can continue to show improvement in all areas then who knows how far he can develop as a rider.”