Simon Carr's key for Trofeo Calvia victory: "Rui Costa and Alberto Bettiol were in the chasing group, which allowed me to keep my legs still and gamble on a sprint"

A breakaway on his first race day of the year earned Simon Carr a brilliant victory. The EF Education-EasyPost rider benefited from a great set of legs and tactics at the Trofeo Calvia to take the American team's first triumph of the season.

“It was a long day. I was part of the leading group from the start, but there were only two of us,” Carr told Eurosport following his victory. “The boys who joined from the background were also fresher. Rui Costa and Alberto Bettiol were in the chasing group, which allowed me to keep my legs still and gamble on a sprint."

The Briton was in the head of the race, and was joined by Brandon McNulty and Aleksandr Vlasov who were already at the limit from an attack that took place in the peloton. Hence, with teammates chasing, he found himself in an ideal position. Carr, a strong climber, managed to hold the pace of his two rivals on the day and then had the victory on the cards into the final kilometers.

He tells however that he was close to missing out on the win due to a tactical mistake. “I made another mistake five kilometers from the finish, when McNulty suffered from cramps. I thought he was playing a game," he explains. "That almost cost me the victory, but fortunately I was able to return to Vlasov."

But the Briton had the best legs at the end. He bridged across to Vlasov, and in a one-on-one sprint he was by far the superior rider. "This is a nice win to start the season," he concludes. Carr will be an interesting figure over the upcoming days where the mountains will mark the races.