“Today is a special day” – António Morgado celebrates birthday with Trofeo Calvia victory

Winning a race is special at any point in a season. Doing it on your birthday, in brutal conditions, makes it something else entirely.

That was the reality for Antonio Morgado after he delivered victory for UAE Team Emirates - XRG at the Trofeo Calvia, timing his sprint perfectly from a reduced front group after a day defined by rain, climbing and repeated selection.

“Today is a special day,” Morgado said afterwards when speaking to Cycling Pro Net. “I’m happy to give this gift to myself.”

The Trofeo Calvia was shaped early by heavy rain and cautious riding, with teams reluctant to take risks on slick Mallorcan roads. That restraint gradually gave way to attrition as the climbs accumulated, thinning the peloton and allowing a breakaway to gain real belief before the decisive phase unfolded late on.

For Morgado, the conditions were never a concern. “With this weather, I knew I was going to feel good,” he explained. “This is my type of weather.”

Rather than forcing the race repeatedly, Morgado rode with patience as the day wore on. He contrasted his approach with previous seasons, where ambition sometimes came too early. “Last year I tried many times,” he said. “This year I knew I just needed to try one time and go. I stayed busy in the bunch, and when I needed to attack, I attacked.”

That judgement proved decisive when hesitation behind allowed a small group to form clear of the peloton. As the gap threatened to become dangerous, Morgado recognised that waiting for others was no longer an option. “I started to feel that maybe in the bunch we didn’t have the power to close the gap,” he said. “So I needed to do something.”

His move brought him into a select front group that would ultimately decide the race. From there, the outcome was shaped not by raw speed but by timing, composure and fatigue.

The final kilometres were tense, with no clear favourite. Morgado was fully aware of the danger posed by Hector Alvarez, one of the strongest riders alongside him at the front. “I know he’s super strong,” Morgado said. “He’s like a track rider, and he sprints very well. It was fifty-fifty.”

When the sprint finally came, Morgado judged it best, launching at exactly the right moment to seal victory and cap a breakthrough ride.

At just 22, the Portuguese rider marked his birthday with a win delivered through patience and precision in testing conditions, underlining his growing confidence and race intelligence early in the season.