"Some ex-riders [put on] a lot of kilos when they retire. I prefer to not add more than 15 kilos. I bike a lot and I drink a lot and I am enjoying a lot. [..] I was at Strade Bianche at the start of the season. It is a very beautiful race, very special. You go to the start and finish and you are not seeing more than 200 to 300 people. If you go to the Tour of Flanders you see tens of thousands at the start, hundreds of thousands out on the circuit. We are different than other countries. The heart of cycling is here in Flanders.“











