"I think I’ve never been in such good shape": Training in Shanghai reportedly puts Victor Lafay at the top of his game

Victor Lafay has been one of Unibet Rose Rockets' star signings this past winter. The former Tour de France stage winner is supposed to anchor the French-Dutch team's hilly classics team while he hunts individual successes in longer stage races.

And yet, for some reason, you could run into Lafay in the Chinese metropolis Shanghai at the end of Novemeber, at the time when season preparations are normally in full swing.

Of course, the 30-year-old Frenchman was not in Asia at this time of the year for holidays. Since Lafay's girlfriend lives in the city, his team granted Lafay a special permission to train in China for a brief period. Something like that was unimaginable to Lafay in his former teams:

"In some teams you feel like a fifteen-year-old, constantly monitored on what you eat or whether you leave the hotel to go for a walk. I still have the experience to make the right choices," he told DirectVelo.

Lafay says the freedom to manage his training has paid off already. He feels physically stronger than ever in January - a sign, he believes, that his new way of preparing is working. Tietema personally convinced Lafay to join the Rockets, and the Frenchman thinks his form proves the choice was right.

"Physically, I think I’ve never been in such good shape in January. It clearly shows that training more in my own way works for me. During Christmas, I had all my family dinners. My girlfriend, who had come from China, was there too. I barely rode. I should have done 18 hours of riding, but I did only five," Lafay laughed.

After his opening race, the Vuelta a la Region de Murcia, Lafay is scheduled to race the Classic Var and the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var as part of building toward his season goals. His spring should then culminate on the mythical Mur de Huy during La Fleche Wallonne.