David Lopez finished his season just a month ago at the Tour of Beijing and now the holidays are also over for the Spaniard. The Team Sky rider has finished his second year with the British team and feels fully intregrated and valued after having done the last two Tours de France.

Now it is time to take stock of the situation and especially to look forward in order to "learn from mistakes" and "improve". Meanwhile, he has started his routine preparation, gym, hikes in the mountains and short bike riders before he start the serious work.

Lopez acknowledges that it has not been the best season for Sky, especially when it is compared to 2012 and 2013 when Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froom won the Tour de France. Nevertheless, he doesn't see it as a wasted year.

"I think the team has a good level although it is true that we did not win as much as in other years," Biciciclismo reports him as saying. "Winning is always the hardest and you must not forget that we have been haunted by bad luck at times. I think we have to be happy and learn from our mistakes."

He goes one step further and says that the team has closed the circle.

"When they started (in 2010), the goald was to win the Tour in five years and make cycling in Britain grow. And looking back, not just at the past year, I think the results have been very good. We have achieved a lot, the team has grown and is one of the most respected in the peloton," he says. "The circle is closed an already next year we can start with new goals and new ways of working. It is a very young team. The boss (Dave Brailsford, ed.) wants to continue the innovation. The team is known for wanting to be different from others. We'll see what that brings us next year. There are good riders, important things are done and there are still things to improve."

Lopez believes it is a stimulus for Team Sky that other teams evolve.

"It's good for the team to see that others do things right and are getting better. For cycling in general, it is good that they do not always dominate like at the Tour where French riders have come emerged. It is good for attracting new sponsors and in the end it is good for everybody."

Lopez has no doubt that Chris Froome can return to fight for the Tour de France and the big races next year. 

"When he was good, he has been at their level, in Oman, Romandie, Dauphine, and in the Tour there was no chance to know if it was okay or not. And in the Vuelta a Espana he was almost at his level even though he had to prepare in a hurry. Clearly he has had bad luck and setbacks throughout the year. In the past two years he has been one of the strongest and now he will start from scratch. He and others like Richie (Porte) just have to take a small step and they will be there. I think they will not be obsessed by the Tour but they will try to make a more balanced season and try to win in more races," he says.

Personally, he feels very comfortable in the British team.

"I think my season wa good, I have been working for my teammates. I am appreciated in the team and I have a long-term contract. At my age, I do not expect an excessive progression. Maybe I will change the calendar, but we'll see. It's still too early because the season ended barely a month ago. Clearly, if I am fine I will also have my chances, but 90% of the season I will be lending a hand which is no small job," he says. "I look forward to returning to the Tour de France. The Tour is always special and even more in this team. But I am not obsessed and I will see which schedule I have."

In late October, the team "and the new people" closed the season on a boat in the sea.

"It was a pity that we had bad weather and did not have the best conditions. It was a good experience and fun to learn how to work in groups," he looks back at the gathering.

A change in the team is the arrival of new Spanish coach Xabier Artetxe.

"The truth is that I did not know him much but we have already started to work together. The team has complete faith in him. It takes time to reach the same level as the other coaches. Now we get better support. I think it is better for everyone to have more options. It looks good," he says.

Lopez did not end his second season with Team Sky "too tired after the Tour because I had no intense training and did not race as much as in the previous year. But clearly, it is mentally challenging. You need a longer time to switch off during the winter. Physically, I haved finished these two seasons pretty well," he says.