Jürgen Roelandts has extended his contract with Lotto, but he has certain demands. "I wanted carte blanche for the classics." As a consequence, Roelandts will no longer be part of Ande Greipel's sprint train and will probably not ride the Tour de France.

Jürgen Roelandts been riding for Lotto-Soudal during his entire pro career but his new contract was not obvious. "I've been thinking about it for a while. In the current cycling, it is difficult to get a team, even for good riders. I wanted security," he tells Sporza.

"I have asked for carte blanche in the classics. That's why I asked to step out of Greipel's sprint train. When they agreed, we have an agreement to build on."

Roelandts had expectd much from 2014, but it was not to be. "It was perhaps the most difficult year of my career. But you learn the most from a bad year. Therefor I wish to change my entire program to start the classics with more mental peace.

"You can not underestimate the work in a sprint train. It is 20 to 30 kilometers of fighting and that is mentally quite taxing. That may be just the touch of mental and physical energy that I missed in the classics."

With his new approach, Roelandts will be more under pressure. "I will no longer have any excuses in the sprint. But nothing ventured, nothing gained. I like to compare myself with Greg Van Avermaet who decided to ride for himself two years ago. I will try to go down the same road.

After his poor season, Roelandts also came under fire within his team.

"When it is not go well in the Tour, it started to go wrong. I continued to ride to save things but that does not help. Now I have taken a long rest to build from scratch. In my own way."

Roelandts has not only planned his spring campaign but has also had a look at the autumn season

"In my head I do not ride the Tour. There I would have to work for André in the sprints and in the stages taht I will have my own chance, I will be up against riders that are better suited to that. I'd rather do the Vuelta and then the autumn classics and the Worlds."