Florian Sénéchal's 2024 season was his first with a French team since racing for Cofidis back in 2017, but his year didn't go to plan after transferring from Soudal-QuickStep, with the Classics specialist describing a season beset by injuries, mental struggles and burnout.
Speaking to Breton newspaper Le Télégramme, the 31-year-old, told of how collarbone injuries in the spring gave way to a loss of confidence and hitting "rock bottom" amid personal problems off the bike.
Sénéchal, a key part of QuickStep's now-largely dismantled Classics squad, was signed to boost Arkéa-B&B Hotels' fortunes in the discipline as well as work as a lead-out for sprinter Arnaud Démare, but his season was quickly derailed by a crash at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.
"I broke my collarbone. Three weeks later, I raced again and fell on the same collarbone again," Sénéchal told Le Télégramme.
"That was the beginning of the ordeal. From that point on, I completely lost confidence in myself. I didn't know how to race or ride a bike anymore."
He added that the death of his grandfather also affected him greatly, with the cumulation of problems – including bouts of insomnia – contributing to what he described as his toughest time as a professional racer.
"I had never experienced anything like this during my time as a professional," he said. "I have never been so low. I hit rock bottom. I would have sunk without loved ones and the help of the team.
"Mentally, it was no longer possible. I hit rock bottom and there was no more water in the pool."
2021 Vuelta a España stage winner Sénéchal said that, at one point, he even considered stepping away from the bike permanently.
"I told myself that I was going to end my career, that it was the end, that my body was saying 'stop'. I was close to burnout and sensitive to everything. I wanted to give up everything. I was lost."
Despite the hardships of his season, Sénéchal said that he "never lost motivation" and kept on training, finishing his year with a slew of one-day outings in September and October.
His top result of 2024 remained a top 10 at the Antwerp Port Classic in May, but Sénéchal said he closed out the year with good legs. Now he's focussed and ready for 2025.
"I'll be out for revenge," he said. "I have no choice. The counter is reset to zero."
