I think the San Sebastian victory and and my European time trial title, and the second place in the worlds, really changed my life and my career a lot.
I had to suffer, I had to fight, and now I feel great.
I am who I am, that's who I want to be, and that should be enough.
Sometimes terrible things just happen to the wrong people.
Van Aert is an example to me anyway. When I was still playing football, I watched the races and the cross races. In that world, he was an idol to me.
Being the new Eddy Merckx is not something I want to hear. I want to be somebody new.
Especially winning for Belgian, it's so emotional for me.
The Olympic Games and the World Championships will be my big goals.
I'm not going to talk about winning, I don't like to talk about winning.
I am really looking forward to being present in my first three-week race, the Giro d'Italia, a huge and prestigious event that captures one's imagination.
I don't like comparisons with Merckx or any other rider because we're talking about different eras, so it doesn't make any sense.
If you want to win you have to attack, so I'm not gonna stop attacking.
I've won five races as a pro and become European champion in time-trial. I'm growing stronger as a person and as an athlete. I really didn't believe I could do this in my first year as a pro.