Alex Braybrooke, 20

AVC Aix-en-provence, Aix-en-provence, France

How was the south of France? It’s a good place to live. Compared to Belgium where I was in 2016, I was able to specifically target races more. I wasn’t far from Mont Ventoux so I had a few small training camps.

Good season? I found that I progressed a lot and towards the end of the season I started to get a few results that maybe go under the radar outside of France but definitely get you noticed within France.

What was the team like? I found the team more relaxed than Lotto-soudal U23 where it was quite an intense environment at times, with it just being U23 riders. This year there were older riders and ex-pros who I learned a lot from.

How was the racing? Most races I got a chance to do what I wanted, unless it was a sprint and we had a designated sprinter, or one of my team-mates had a leader’s jersey. We employed a laissez faire attitude of going out there to race and assess the situation as the race developed.

Plans for next season? I’ve re-signed for the same team and I am looking forward to stepping up again next year. I haven’t won a race as an U23 rider so it’d be nice to do so. The objective is to become a pro bike rider so results — wins, top fives or top 10s — can help me to achieve that. Off-season schedule? I’ve been back in the UK for a month now and have had a well-needed rest. Now that the Dave Rayner Fund dinner has been and gone, I’ve resumed my training. I’ll be having a training camp in Girona with James Shaw.