2014 was a beautiful year for Niki Terpstra. Even the Flemish fans appreciated the performances of the Dutchman. But in December, traditionally the month of praise and prizes, Niki Terpstra was surprisingly absent.

According to the usual standards, a win in Paris-Roubaix would be enough to be the Dutch rider of the year. And a nomination for the title as Sportsman of the Year should also be guaranteed.

But it was different. "Ah, I have not taken much notice. I've been busy with 2015," Terpstra tells NOS.

Terpstra prefers not to talk about the Dutch Cycling Gala in late November were Tom Dumoulin was chosen as the best Dutch rider of the year. "I know why that choice was made. It had no sporting reason," Terpstra adds.

In 2012, Terpstra criticized Club 48, the committee of former riders who hands out the prize. According to the Etixx-Quick Step rider, athletes who had had a good year, were not even nominated. He expects to be paying the price for that criticism. "That is so obvious. I don't want to dwell on it for too long.

One day later, he thakned the world via Instagram. "It may have sounded like a speech, but it is not. It was just a thank you to my fans, my family," he says.

It was the second time that the Paris-Roubaix champion was overlooked. National coach Johan Lammerts decided not to select Terpstra for the Worlds in September as he regarded the course to be too tough for Terpstra.

Terpstra accepts that decision. The course was not ideal for him. "But I could have had a different role," he says with some disappointment.

And finally, it was the Sports Gala in December. "I would have liked to be nominated for the title of Sportsman of the Year. But they are all top riders with big titles." Terpstra also had to miss the gala due to a training camp in Spain with his team.

In the new year, Terpstra will again be riding for the Etixx-Quick Step team. Midway through the season, the team offered him a contract extension of three years. "It shows there confidence in me."

At the training camp, he realized that he was again bypassed for the Sports Moment of 2014 award where he was nominated due to his win in Roubaix. Robbie van Persie took the title for his goal against Spain in the World Cup.

"It was nice that my moment was nominated. I took a lot of pictures with my go-pro. The team had another plan. They wanted me to film the crowd went from the stage. This would create unique images. But if I look back in twenty years, I would have been on the stage with such a thing in my hands. So I only took some photos."

Has Terpstra not been asked to look back? "Quite a lot," he says. "By newspapers and TV programmes. I have had some requests. I have done some interviews but not everything. I don't like to look back. I analyze a lot about what went well and what I need to do different but I prefer not to look back."

Instead, he wants to look forward. "Maybe I can raise the bar in 2015," Terpstra jokes as. His results (first in Roubaix and Dwars door Vlaanderen, second in the E3 Prijs, fifth in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and sixth in the Tour of Flanders) will be very difficult to repeat. "But I want to pursue the same goals as last year. The pressure will be bigger, though."

On Friday, he will start his second six-day race of the season in Rotterdam before he starts his road season at the Tour of Qatar. He won that race in 2014. If he manages to do so again and repeat his spring results, it would be another fantastic season for the Dutchman.