“The opening weekend was just mental. Like the wind, the cold, the rain was just ... I was like, 'What the fuck am I doing here?' It's just full gas. 180 riders coming into a two metre-wide road after a big road on a corner. Obviously, there's no space for 180 riders. It's a constant fight from the start of the race until the end.”

Two years ago, Alexandre Mayer was racing the Africa Tour, now he’s at the Belgian Classics.