Where in spring everybody is keen on showing the best of themselves, my training buddies and I wouldn’t show any signs of great morale by September after the biggest race of the year. The Tour de France was typically followed by the criteriums with late nights and lots of kilometres on the road. In spring I would mount mudguards and heavy tyres on my training bike to survive the spring showers. In contrast, by September any precipitation would be welcomed with open arms. “We’ll take another rest day. Training in this weather can’t be good for the body,” we would text our training group. Any rain in September meant no training for that day. That was a rule. We called the end of the year sluggishness Septemberitis, normally followed by Octoberitis, which was even worse, if your team director kept on putting your name on the race roster.