 He had been living in a small butchers shop, in Ghent, with several other cyclists, before befriending Eddy Planckaert and being invited to live with the Planckaert family, in Nevele.The following year (1978) he returned to the World Junior Cycling Championships held in Washington, USA, where he competed in the road race, and came second in the points race.Returning to Belgium, he continued to race, winning another 10 races, and placing second, a further 25 times.