British racer Simon Carr has admitted that he's coming back from the "toughest season I've ever had" as he looks to bounce back from a brutal 2025 campaign this season, his second at Cofidis.
The 27-year-old joined the French squad from EF Education-EasyPost last winter and had been looking forward to making his Tour de France debut in the summer for his new team.
However, that opportunity never came amid a season blighted by injury, surgery, and illness.
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Carr sustained a knee injury during a pre-season training camp last January. That meant he was forced to undergo surgery, which then kept him out until the Route d'Occitanie in June.
He eventually managed to log 26 race days, but nine of those were DNFs, including the Vuelta a España.
"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."
Carr said that he had returned to a good level of fitness in the summer, and he duly recorded a promising 21st place at the Donostia San Sebastián Klasikoa. The Vuelta was next on his list, but a bout of illness put him out of the race and compromised the remainder of his season.
"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.
"I had gastroenteritis and went home after four days. Then I didn't ride for five days, but I got back into it quickly because the team wanted me to race in Italy. 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 now linked up with a new coach – Fred Ostian, who joins Cofidis from Arkéa-B&B Hotels – and he says he's "not far from my best level" in terms of tests and feeling as he faces the new season.
A primary goal for 2026 is to make his debut at the Tour de France, though there will be several other races at which the 2023 Tour de Langkawi champion will have to prove himself at first.
"[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," Carr said.
"That's my number one objective. 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.
"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."
Carr will make his season debut on Friday in Spain at the Classica Camp de Morvedre, with the GP Castellon to follow on Saturday, before he heads to France for a host of races next month.
