Since he arrived at the Ag2R Citroen greg van avermaet he hasn't raised his arms to the sky yet. Olympic champion in Rio de Janeiro but he hasn't lost his edge or his motivation... If anything, it's his identity card that's working against him. In fact, the Belgian will turn 38 in May.
Van Avermaet has started the training camp with his team. He went to Spain and is already riding on the new ones bmc with the 2023 colorway that certainly won't go unnoticed.
Love the bike
A few days ago Van Avermaet spoke to a French newspaper (Cyclisme Actu) and, among other things, he talked about his motivations.
"I don't know if this is my sixteenth or seventeenth season, I haven't counted!" As if to say that time doesn't matter when you're having a good time and loving what you do. And indeed: «The most important thing to last for many years – continued Van Avermaet – It's about loving the bike and not losing your passion. When you maintain your passion and stay motivated to ride, you'll definitely have a good season."
And still on the subject of motivations, more than one person has asked him, for some time now, whether this will be his last season but Greg didn't seem to agree. Or at least he said he won't start the year thinking it's his last, even though his contract expires at the end of 2023.
Flanders Ball
But the motivation isn't just "the beauty of cycling," there are important goals to achieve. Some are concrete, like the growth of the team, being close to growing kids like cosnefroy , Vendrame… Cosnefroy himself had a strong Olympian side to him in his victory in Canada. He nicknamed him the "Little Prince," and after the finish, Cosnefroy immediately sought him out.
And there are other, much more ambitious goals, such as The Tour of Flanders. Van Avermaet knows it's very difficult.
«It won't be easy to do well in the classics – says Van Avermaet – A few years ago I might have been the best at those races, but now it's a little different. However, I can still achieve good results, maybe I can no longer win a monument classic, but I can grab a top five."
«The dream – even at almost 38 years old you can have them – is winning the Tour of Flanders. I have made several podiums, it's my favorite race, But I've never won it. I'll try again, I have one or two more attempts left.
«But if I won Flanders… then yes, I could quit!».
Openness to change
Enthusiasm, a desire to show off, to try new things… Van Avermaet won the Olympics with monstrous determination, the same determination he showed in the gravel world championship. He finished fourth, beaten in the sprint by Van der Poel. He regretted that an unexpected pit stop had deprived him of the podium.
Moreover Van Avermaet has been racing with BMC for years and is considered a major bike developer. He's also made his mark in the gravel world.
Another new aspect for an experienced rider like Van Aert is the contact with the new generation. And he, especially in the national team, is the best example of this: Remco Evenepoel. Young riders people have put a lot of athletes in difficulty.
"Remco is an exceptional talent. When he joined the team, I immediately saw that he was special. He has skills I've never seen in anyone else in my career. The way he rode in the World Championship, at Liège or San Sebastian, is something we haven't seen since the days of Eddy Merckx.
«I'm a fan of Remco and I'm very happy to be able to race with him. Maybe I'd be even happier to beat him once!
