Of the many tales told of old pro cyclists’ dietary arrangements, my personal favourite is that of discarding the soft, spongy and tasty bit in the middle of a slice of bread and eating only the crust.

So it was with real pleasure that I watched Sean Kelly doing just that at breakfast this morning. ‘King’ Kelly still likes to ride fast and stays in shape by sticking to the kind of regime that he was encouraged to adopt early in his pro career by mentor and long-time team boss Jean de Gribaldy.

And for starters that means plucking the doughy bit out of the middle of each slice of bread. For good measure, Kelly kneaded one lump meaningfully before discarding it and leaving me in no doubt that cyclists shouldn’t eat dough. Finishing lunch with a Tartelette Chocolat et Noix, on the other hand…