24-year-old Russian looking for team after 2017 injury and rocky 2018 season
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Matvey Mamykin rides in the breakaway during stage 1 at Tourr de romandie(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Matvey Mamykin back with the team car at the Vuelta a España(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Matvey Mamykin (Katusha-Alpecin)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Matvey Mamykin takes a drink(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Matvey Mamykin (Katusha)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Former Katusha and Burgos-BH rider Matvey Mamykin has turned to social media in his search for a new team. The 24-year-old Russian spread word by Twitter this week that he's still looking for a team for next season.
"Hey everyone! Unfortunately haven’t find a team yet, but still looking," Mamykin wrote in the post. "Better to try it here than surrender. So, if anyone is interested, please contact me. Will be grateful for any help or repost, guys!"
Mamykin broke his pelvis in a crash during stage 19 of the 2017 Vuelta a España while riding for Katusha-Alpecin. He spent four days in hospital, with the injury and subsequent long recovery ending his season.
He returned with Spanish Pro Continental team Burgos-BH for 2018, but the season was a bust for the young Russian. He managed just 11 race days, dropping out of every event he entered, the last being the Vuelta Asturias Julio Alvarez Mendo in Spain on April 24.
In an email to Cyclingnews, Mamykin said that although he had recovered enough from his 2017 Vuelta crash to train hard this season, the pain in his pelvis would return each time he tried to race.
"When I first got on my bike after the fall, I had pain, but over time the pain went away and I began to train more powerfully. But when I returned to the races, the injury again started to make discomfort," Mamykin said.
He took some time off the bike and began training again in the summer.
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"Now I feel good," he said. "The injury no longer bothers me. I train little by little. Now I have problems with weight. I gained a lot because of stress. Now I need to make it go away."
Maymkin told Cyclingnews he is looking for a team that will give him a chance to fully recover and prove once again he can live up to the promise he showed early in his career.
"If desired, a person can do everything, you just need to give him a bit of faith," he said. "I think that I can return to the previous level and grow further. I just need time and faith."
Mamykin turned pro in 2014 with Team 21, then joined Continental team Itera-Katusha in 2015. He moved to the Katusha WorldTour squad in 2016 and raced there through his injury in 2017. Mamykin raced the Vuelta a Espana twice with Katusha and the Giro d'Italia once, finishing a Grand Tour-best 24th overall at the Vuelta in 2016.
He was a key support rider for Ilnur Zakarin in the mountains before the Vuelta crash brought down his WorldTour opportunity. Now he's hoping social media can help him land a chance to make his way back.
"I want to thank everyone who supports me and in general all the fans of cycling, because there is no point without you," he said. "And, of course, I really want the development of Russian cycling and the popularization of this sport in our country. Now cycling in our country is on the verge of extinction. I really want everything to change!"
Growing up in Missoula, Montana, Pat competed in his first bike race in 1985 at Flathead Lake. He studied English and journalism at the University of Oregon and has covered North American cycling extensively since 2009, as well as racing and teams in Europe and South America. Pat currently lives in the US outside of Portland, Oregon, with his imaginary dog Rusty.
