Even earlier than closing out his 18-year skilled highway profession in 2023, Greg van Avermaet (Belgium) started to variety his athletic pursuits, for his love of sports activities. He had already distinguished himself on the 2016 Olympic Video games with the gold medal within the highway race and a 12 months later he captured wins at each Paris-Roubaix and Gent-Wevelgem. How do you prime that?
Van Avermaet started to differ his programme in 2022 by competing within the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships and completed fourth, one second off the rostrum behind Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands). Then he took up a full gravel calendar this 12 months and combined in a 70.3 Ironman, which now has him certified for the 70.3 Ironman World Championships in 2025.
“I really like sports activities. I am fortunate that I am nonetheless in fine condition. You already know, it takes me 4 weeks to coach for a triathlon to be on a good degree. In order that’s additionally the cool half, for those who can hold your self busy with driving your bike, the form shouldn’t be happening that a lot. And it is cool to do this form of occasions the place you simply can discover some freedom and a few good emotions,” Van Avermaet instructed Cyclingnews throughout his look Friday at a pop-up retailer in Leuven for manufacturers together with BMC and Pirelli.
“I believe it is fairly particular, as a result of we have now, in fact, loads of Belgians going to begin. Nevertheless it’s not going to be like in an actual group. I believe it is fairly a person sport. It is also not that it is created by the federation, the place within the highway they’ve to select eight or 9 guys a group. So I believe right here it is extra free.
“Final time, I used to be nonetheless in massive form, you already know, I used to be nonetheless an expert rider. Now could be just a little bit totally different. I am nonetheless driving my bike quite a bit, however, you do not dwell the skilled life anymore, which can also be good.”
In 2024, his first 12 months away from the WorldTour and highway racing, the 39-year-old Belgian went all-in for gravel, incomes seven prime 10s in eight main occasions, together with third at Falling Leaves Lahti, fourth at 3 Rides Gravel and seventh at Unbound Gravel 200. With this 12 months’s UCI Gravel World Championships on his dwelling turf, he needs to have an excellent journey.
“I’ll attempt to do my greatest. I’ve, in fact, the abilities and the data the right way to do it, however generally the legs do not reply that good anymore to what you need. However I believe I’ve a good degree. It isn’t so distant from dwelling. After which I used to be additionally considering, why not? Why not strive.
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“Profitable this sort of stuff, I believe that shall be out of attain. I believe prime 15, prime 20, on this parcours, I shall be completely happy. So we are going to see. I am nonetheless having fun with it [racing] however the degree, in fact, shouldn’t be the identical anymore.”
When speaking about what number of contenders have been a part of the 292 elite males on the beginning for Sunday’s 182km contest, Van Avermaet needed to select a Belgian teammate, however defaulted to one of many hottest riders within the peloton who’s now not unsure to begin, Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel.
“If you must choose one title the place you must put your cash on, I believe most likely will probably be Mathieu [van der Poel]. I believe for those who see his degree from final week on a parcours that perhaps shouldn’t be the very best for him, then I believe you’ll be able to count on that he gonna be the winner on Sunday,” Van Avermaet stated with a lightweight chuckle.
“So I believe that man has the abilities, has the legs, and has the data of [equipment]. I prefer it that he is right here, it is good for the occasion. I form of prefer it when these guys have an interest to do this sort of stuff.”
Van der Poel can have a Classics-styled course on which to compete for Worlds title on gravel so as to add to those he has in cyclocross and highway. Van Avermaet just like the course, regardless that he stated it might have been designed with extra climbs.
“I prefer it, yeah, I believe it is Belgium, you can not change it. We now have punchy climbs, not an excessive amount of. We now have loads of buildings, and the small components of nature we have now are fairly protected, particularly in Flanders. There are fairly some corners additionally. So I believe grading this parcours is sort of onerous,” he confirmed.
“It is form of a Classics fashion, like Tour of Flanders. It is that form of parcours. I believe in the event that they actually needed to make it quite a bit more durable, we have now just a few extra climbs, but it surely’s good, an excellent mixture.
“It is this sort of gravel, the roads will not be huge, you must be in entrance. And this may make the race onerous. Should you’re too far [behind], you could have this sort of accordion that you just’re enjoying, and it is onerous to meet up with the primary guys. And that can make the race very onerous I believe.”
Triathlon Worlds
Different sports activities adventures have led Van Avermaet again to his roots as a youth with swimming and working, and he tried a triathlon in 2023 “only for enjoyable”. This 12 months a good friend challenged him to compete in a half Ironman, so Van Avermaet first checked his gravel programme to see if the timing labored. It did.
He competed on the 70.3 Ironman Knokke-Heist alongside former highway professionals Jelle Wallays (Cofidis) and Sven Vanthourenhout, who has been the nationwide biking coach for Belgium. Van Avermaet completed thirteenth total, third in his class (M35-39) and 5 spots forward of Wallays whereas Vanthourenhout was seventh in his class (M40-44).
“There was one, in fact, in Belgium, and I stated, yeah, why not strive? I solely beginning biking after I was 18 years previous, so I’ve a background as a soccer participant, however I used to be additionally swimming a bit, and I used to be working. So in the long run, it would not price me an excessive amount of power to modify.”
He admitted he actually loved it as a result of it was not solely totally different, however there have been decrease expectations from biking, the place even “with gravel folks count on you are gonna win, but it surely’s not at all times that simple”. Van Avermaet certified for the 70.3 Ironman World Championship in Spain subsequent 12 months.
“However in triathlon, folks actually admire if you are able to do the three sports activities, after which it was an excellent expertise to organize myself do totally different form of coaching. And I certified for Worlds subsequent 12 months. So I shall be there additionally one other one.”
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