Prior to the 2013 season, Sergio Pardilla was signed by the new pro continental team MTN Qhubeka as the leader in the stage races and mountainous terrain. After a difficult start to the season, the Spaniard excelled in the latter half and now faces his second season with increased confidence.

Many people were surprised when talented climber Sergio Pardilla left the big Movistar team to join the South African MTN Qhubeka which was set to become Africa's first pro continental team. However, the Spaniard was attracted by a different approach that was about more than just sporting results, and the chance to be the team's leader in the stage races.

While the team had a great spring season with Gerald Ciolek winning Milan-Sanremo, Pardilla had a difficult time. He did well when he finished 3rd in the Tour de Langkawi but the cold European conditions hampered him when he returned to cycling's heartland. He was far behind the best in mountainous races like Tirreno-Adriatico, Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali and Giro del Trentino where the team didn't figure at the pointy end of the GC.

However, he bounced back in the second half of the season with strong performances in the Volta a Portugal and the Tour of Britain. He won a big mountain stage and led the race for several days in the former event and finished 6th in the latter despite the race mostly being decided by a flat time trial.

The end-of-season success has allowed Pardilla to start his vacation with a relaxed and confident mindset.

"The year ended well," he told A&A Sport. "The first part was somewhat discreet. The cold and rain affected me and I could not perform like I wanted, but the July break came in handy. I had a training camp in Navacerrada and my coach Javi Fernandez-Alba redesigned my training to be good in the second half. The victory in Portugal marked another morale boost and I have ended the season with hunger for more."

With Ciolek' Sanremo win being the standout performance, MTN Qhubeka has had a very successful first season in the pro continental ranks. The team won 15 races and had success in some of the biggest events on the European calendar while also nurturing its young African talent and spreading the message of the Qhubeka charity foundation.

"2013 has been a great season," Pardilla said. "It was our first year as a professional team and nevertheless we achieved great successes. The group of people is very good and we have a good atmosphere despite the many nationalities."

Pardilla will spend his vacation at his home in Spain.

"You spend too much time away from home," he said. "You cannot be with your wife, family and friends as much as you want to."

The win in Portugal was Pardilla's only in 2013.