After an amazing debut season at Team Sky, with two wins and almost a third and GC at the Abu Dhabi Tour if it wasn’t for that crash in the last corner of the climb, Wout Poels has finally had some time to relax and take stock of what he has achieved in 2015.

“It was really nice. I had my own success but then also with Chris [Froome] in the Tour. It was a nice experience to be a part of that," Poels told Cyclingnews. "I’m really happy with my first year with Team Sky, it’s been a great season. I think I made a big step this year and I hope that it can continue into next season.”

Despite this being the Dutchman’s fourth Tour start, it was the first time he was riding at the service of someone, as normally he had a free role when he completed the race with Vaconsoleil in the past.

“It was on another level to what I’m used to but I found it fun,” he said. “You have more pressure, but then it’s always really nice when you can always see the yellow jersey in the bus. I don’t think I’m ever going to win a Tour by myself – that is something not a lot of people can do. I also think that not many people can work with the Tour de France winner, so that is really amazing to do and if they appreciate it then it is even nicer to do.”

Poels has been delighted that Sky gave him the chance to win races at both Tirreno-Adriatico and Abu Dhabi Tour, where he was third overall. After taking a stage in Tirreno, he rode the Tour before winning the summit finish and finishing second overall at the Tour of Britain.

“The nicest thing in cycling is if you can go for yourself and win your own races because that’s why you become a rider," said Poels. "I was really happy that I was able to find a really good combination. I was able to work for the team but then in Tirreno and Abu Dhabi I was able to go for my own chances. So the combination was really good and that makes it fun and nice to race and to train hard. With the whole team in general, I am really happy that I made the move. I’m really enjoying it.”

Poels will once again try and win races for Sky while supporting Froome in the stage races he targets and the Tour. But Poels also says the Olympics course can suit him and he wants to make one of the four spots in the Dutch team his.

“I really want to go to the Olympics,” Poels told Cyclingnews. “We only have four riders in the Netherlands that can go so it will be really busy to fight for the last spots but I think that the parcours should be really good for me. It is really hard and normally that is perfect for me. I’m going to try. If you don’t try then you never go.”