Gabriel Cullaigh, 21

SEG Racing — Eindhoven, Netherlands; Girona, Spain

You have two homes? When I’m not racing, I’m based in Girona. In Eindhoven we have an athlete campus and that’s where we all meet. It’s a good mix because Girona is great for training, and Eindhoven is a good base for the northern European races.

Why SEG? They have a history of developing talent and passing them onto Pro-conti and Worldtour teams. But the main reason is that I was on the British Cycling Academy last year. We were based in Italy and, it’s a shame, but things just didn’t work out.

How has it been? I’m loving it. It was a safe decision because of the race calendar but also a risk because I’ve only ever worked with British teams. But the racing is of a real high quality. The likes of the Tours of Normandy and Brittany were carnage.

Good team-mates? Fellow Brit Stephen Williams and I are really close and we’ve brought British humour and banter to the team. The rest of the lads have really taken to it and we’ve all drawn close.

What races suit you? The Classics — long races where it’s a wearing-down process and you have to have a lot of power at the end. Races like the Tour of Flanders and Parisroubaix are my type, but if I’m going well I can handle the Ardennes.

Are you learning Dutch? I am trying to pick it up. I don’t have the confidence to speak it but I understand what people are talking about. I know it’s not a popular language, but it’s not too different to English and I would love to

properly pick it up.