Simon Clark is likely to skip the Tour Down Under again in order to replicate his 2019 race program in his upcoming contract year, which he says was the best of his career.

Clark typically competes in Australian stage races, but missed the World Tour opener earlier this year due to childbirth and instead began his campaign at the Tour de la Provence in February.

The change has paid off handsomely for the 33-year-old, who recently returned to his native Australia to train mainly in Melbourne, Victoria, before his fifth season with EF Education First.

"I think it was the best season of my career, especially in terms of one-day race results," Clark reflected.

"I sat back a lot and reflected on the year and tried to figure out what was different and what triggered these results and performances. It's not an easy thing to identify. I mean, we work hard every year, we try hard every race, but this year everything seems to have clicked. I think it was a combination of things."

As the generational shift in the World Tour peloton continues, Clark has become one of the oldest riders on the EF Education First roster, but with two stage wins at the Vuelta a España, he is more than a veteran while knocking on the door of big results. He is proving to be a vintage.

In addition to the support of Colombian Rigoberto Urán (a yellow jersey contender), who finished seventh overall at the Tour de France in July, Clark was given the freedom to carve out his own opportunities.

He finished second overall behind Gorka Izagirre (Astana) in the season's first Tour de la Provence, ninth in Milan-San Remo, second in Amstel Gold behind the maverick Mathieu Van der Pol (Kollendon Circus), and two top-10 finishes in the Tour He was captain of the Australian national team at the cold and wet World Championships in Yorkshire, England, in September.

"I think one of the big changes was that EF Education First pushed me to focus a little more on myself in certain races instead of always being in a supporting role," Clark explained.

"Their encouragement helped me believe that I was good enough to make it to the top at the end of the big races. I think that had a big impact on me."