It looked like a season in which Alunderis would fail to join a single breakaway - until he managed it in the very last race of the season, Il Lombardia. And thanks to that he was able to finish in the top group, though as 66th out of 66 riders.

Altogether his season was rather disappointing, he couldn't leave much of a mark nor score many points. He'd really hoped to join breakaways in the two Grand Tours he raced, but never found the opportunity. At least he was pretty visible in the Tour de France in an unusual role, chasing breakaways for Caleb Ewan, who went on to win the green jersey by the slimmest of margins.

But our long-term planning was always targeting next season for his real breakthrough, when at the age of 24 he'll be able to plan 90 race days. Next winter's training will focus on his energy stats, which should hopefully lead to much better results regardless of breakaway appearances.