Crossing the finish line of the Fleche Wallone last Wednesday, 36-year old Bjorn Leukemans was the only rider who lined up in every single classic race his team participated in this season. And the last fool, as the Wanty-Groupe Gobert leader described himself.

Leukemans inaugurated his spring season at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on March 1st and will conclude it with his participation in Rund um den Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt exactly two months later. This way the 36-year old Belgian will repeat Greg Van Avermaet’s (BMC) achievement from the previous season with in a very convincing style, with most respectable results obtained in spring’s major events, the Ronde van Vlaanderen, Paris-Roubaix and Amstel Gold Race, finished 9th, 15th and 11th respectively.

“Last year, Greg Van Avermaet did it. Now I’m the only fool,” Leukemans told Het Nieuwsblad. “Why not? These are beautiful races and I can handle it.”

“It’s mostly a mental issue. Everything depends on the motivation. Eddy Merckx wasn’t a sprinter, yet he was winning in sprints, too, because he was strong in his head,” Leukemans explained.

The Wanty-Groupe Gobert rider admitted that huge amount of commitments is required in order to succeed in competing from the first to the last of spring classics, and more particularly that his life was reduced to training, racing, eating, sleeping and washing his hands with antibacterial soap throughout last two months.

“During this period, racing, training, eating and sleeping were only things that counted. I wasn’t doing anything else.”

“And for races I always had an antibacterial soap with me. I have been cleaning my hands in team bus right after giving autographs or shaking hands because illness is something I couldn’t afford.”

“I didn’t have any social life. What did my girlfriend say? She had nothing to say, it’s my job. And she’s used to it.”