It's now a common sight to see American Robin Carpenter and his orange Rally Cycling jersey pushing to the front of the race, as the 27-year-old and his fellow escapees look to accomplish the relatively rare feat of sticking with a breakaway to the finish.

Since joining the team from Horovesco-Citadelle in 2018, Carpenter has been Rally's go-to rally rider for long wins in stages and one-day races, and last year he made a breakaway in the Flèche Wallonne, with Dečuninck-Quick Step and Julien Alaphilippe made it close to the finish line before Dečuninck-Quick Step and Julien Alaphilippe took the win.

For Carpenter, it is a natural instinct to move to the front.

Carpenter commented on the discretion he is given in the rallies, "I just keep doing what I've always done.

Carpenter said of the discretion he is given at the rally, "I just keep doing what I've always done.

Last month at the Vuelta a San Juan, a 2.1km race packed with big names such as Alaphilippe, Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), and Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates), Carpenter, along with fellow Latin American and World Tour riders, Carpenter was in the breakaway for two stages.

He hopes to continue his adventure this week at the Tour Colombia 2.1, wearing the colors of the rally's new co-sponsor, UnitedHealth Group's Colmedica. Carpenter has found a billboard for the TV airtime the breakaway group will get.

How Carpenter makes the move work can be summed up in one word, according to the Philadelphia native who grew up near the Manayunk Wall. 'It's always patience,' he says. 'Be really patient and don't get overexcited. It depends on the race, but for example, in the French points race we're doing, it's pretty aggressive for a while until everyone is exhausted. So you have to stay at the front and stay ahead of the splits.

Carpenter added, however, that the Fresh Wallonne attack was one of the exceptions.

"It's one of the bigger quasi-classics, so people are more motivated to get into the breakaway, and they try really hard in the beginning," he explained, revealing his breakaway skills.

"It was a case of not having to hold back too much; you just have to run hard for 30 minutes."

"You have to be patient and you have to be observant," Carpenter noted.

"You can't just float around and look around. You have to check out what's going on, look for key riders and teams, and see what they are trying to do. If you look around and see the big World Tour teams attacking, you know it's going to take a while. Otherwise, they will just destroy themselves."

Carpenter has been racing since he was a teenager, moving to the continental level in 2012 with Chipotle First Solar, a development team run by Jonathan Vaughters' Slipstream program. 2013 saw him move to Hincapie Sportswear He moved to the team and remained with it until 2017, when he transformed into Holowesko-Citadel, with significant results including an overall win at the 2016 Tour of Alberta and stage wins at the USA Pro Challenge and Tour of Utah.

Despite those results, Carpenter has not received a call-up to the World Tour, but says he is happy with his current situation.

"I wasn't a junior prodigy, so I didn't have high hopes for an automatic World Tour spot from U23," he said.

"I didn't race in Europe with the national team until my last year under 23. From then on I was content to be a professional racer. "

Jumping to rallying two years ago has allowed Carpenter to race more in Europe.

"Being in Europe really gives me an understanding of what the high level of the sport is like and where I'm at.

"I was always pretty realistic about where I wanted to be and where I belonged. Of course, everyone wants to be in the biggest races in the world, but I've always been content to go to Europe and do the lesser-known tours.

Like all professional cyclists, though, Carpenter would like to race at the pinnacle of the sport.

"I think I know what kind of rider I am and where I can excel," he explained.

"I don't have super high-powered numbers that would appeal to World Tour teams. But by being patient and somewhat sneaky, I'm getting by."

"A lot of times the World Tour is looking for big engines. Because they know who the star riders are and they are looking for someone who can make the wind blow for them. They are not necessarily looking for an escape specialist.

Carpenter is looking at longer distances in Colombia. Aside from the final day and today's team time trial, the 2020 Tour Colombia 2.1 route appears to be set up favorably for sprinters.

Carpenter still has one or two escapes in his sights.

"The stage looks pretty hard, though," Carpenter told Cycling News at Sunday's team presentation in Tunja.

"That would certainly be the plan. The start of the climb looks easy, not too bad. So it's good to get away. But there's a lot of flatness at the end of the stage this week, so it's not ideal for a breakaway. But honestly, I don't know."