Coughing and cursing was the soundtrack as the finishers of Gent-Wevelgem trudged their way through the mixed zone on Menenstraat, where the muddied faces and haunted stares already told the story of nigh-on six hours of racing amid driving rain and wind.
Most, shivering against the cold, understandably opted to keep rolling towards their rest aboard the team buses parked further down the street. Despite another subdued outing from their Soudal-QuickStep team, however, Yves Lampaert and Tim Merlier lingered amid the microphones and cameras and put their day in words, perhaps out of a sense of duty to those who had covered their squad on happier days.
