"Toughest season I've ever had": British climber targets Tour de France debut after 2025 nightmare

Simon Carr is preparing for his second season with Cofidis after a difficult 2025 campaign marked by medical setbacks. The British climber, who transferred from EF Education-EasyPost with high expectations, was limited to just 26 race days last year due to a combination of knee surgery and illness. Now recovered, the 27-year-old has outlined his ambition to secure a spot in the Tour de France squad for 2026.

Reflecting on the challenges of the past year, Carr admitted that he is fighting back from what he described as the "toughest season I've ever had." A knee injury sustained during a pre-season training camp in January required surgery, sidelining him until June.

"It was a really complicated season, both physically and mentally. I was hoping for much more," Carr told DirectVelo. "There was a lot of stress with the team's survival in the WorldTour at stake. I wasn't at the level expected, so that added to the stress. And for a while, we couldn't find a solution for my knee injury. I had to wait until the Route d'Occitanie to finally get the season going."

After returning to competition, Carr showed glimpses of his potential with a 21st-place finish at the Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa. He entered the Vuelta a España hoping to salvage his season, but then misfortune struck again, as his race ended almost immediately due to gastroenteritis.

"After [San Sebastián], I was thinking I was going to have plenty of opportunities at the Vuelta, but I got sick right at the start of the race, along with my roommate Oliver Knight," Carr explained. "I had gastroenteritis and went home after four days."

The pressure to accumulate UCI points for Cofidis forced a premature return to racing in Italy, which was not the best for his body. "I didn't ride for five days, but I got back into it quickly because the team wanted me to race in Italy," he said. "The first race wasn't going well, but I had to race to score points. I didn't have time to recover, and I ended up in poor physical condition. I tried to help my teammates as much as possible, but I couldn't make an impact on the races."

Carr has reset for the new season, linking up with new coach Fred Ostian. He reports that his test numbers indicate he is "not far from my best level." His primary objective remains the one that brought him to Cofidis in the first place: the Tour de France

"The Tour is why I joined Cofidis last year. I wanted to go there to compete in the stages. This year, I need to start the season well to show the team that I deserve my place. That's my number one objective."

To earn that selection, Carr will have a busy spring schedule. He began his season on Friday in Spain at the Classica Camp de Morvedre, although he was not able to have a big impact on the race, as he did not even finish it.

"I'm going to do some races in France and try to perform well. I'll also ride the Trofeo Laigueglia and the Tour of Turkey to try and aim for the general classification," he noted. "I'll also have the Route d'Occitanie on my schedule. These are opportunities to showcase my abilities and, hopefully, make the team for the Tour."