"I am ready to race and I still have one month to prepare. Therefore it can only be a good year," Tom Boonen told Sporza on the eve of his 14th season as a professional. "Hopefully, the misery is behind me. I did not know how bad a person could feel."

Is Tom Boonen still motivated for his 14th season. "That's never been a problem, not now," the 34-year-old told Sporza

"I started to prepare for the new season on time. I can build a very solid base.

"I'm ready to race and I still have a month to prepare. Thus, it can only be a good season.

"Only winning counts. The important thing is that I get results. I don't go into a race to finish third, sixth or ninth. No, I just want to win races. As many and as quickly as possible.

"I've been very lucky in my career. Hopefully this year luck will again be on my side and the misery will be behind us. Then I can start the classics at full strength. I'm sure I am still strong enough to compete for a big win.

Last year, Tom Boonen and his girlfriend Lore had to deal with a miscarriage. "I did not know how bad a person can feel," he says.

"After a few days you think you've handled it mentally, but that's really not the case. Physically, it was a decisive factor.

"Five days later I started as a wreck in the Dwars door Vlaanderen. And I went home like a wreck.

"In Paris-Roubaix, I was back to normal, but I started that race with a different attitude. I was very hungry, because I had not had any results yet. I had more bad luck early in the race. And then I attacked too early."

This year Tom Boonen and Lore expect to give birth to twins. How does he look forward to the role of being a father? "With sweaty hands," Boonen says. "Suddenly, we will have two children. That will change a lot."