"It has been very important to have had the support of Movistar Team" - Will Barta on his first professional win at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

Will Barta took the first victory of his professional career on the final stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. The 28-year-old American has struggled in recent seasons and had been dreaming of this moment for a long time.

As for the win itself, he said that he had not planned it, but when he saw that he had dropped his breakaway companions at the summit of the final climb, he went all-in on a 45km solo attack, holding off the peloton to take the victory.

In an interview with Movistar Team on the evening of his victory, Barta said "I snuck away in a group of 4 or 5. At the bottom of the climb we had two minutes, but in the end I went solo on the climb and then I just kept going to the finish".

Barta has not really come close to winning a race since the Vuelta a España in 2020, where he lost a time trial to Primož Roglič on stage 13. However, his team have always believed in him and this victory has certainly helped him to regain some self-confidence, as he stated that "it really means a lot to take a victory like this and it's also a big thing to me to have had the support of Movistar Team and Telefónica throughout all of this".