Even earlier than closing out his 18-year skilled street profession in 2023, Greg van Avermaet (Belgium) started to range 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 street race and a yr later he captured wins at each Paris-Roubaix and Gent-Wevelgem. How do you prime that?
Van Avermaet started to fluctuate 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 yr 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 good condition. You realize, it takes me 4 weeks to coach for a triathlon to be on a good degree. In order that’s additionally the cool half, if you happen to can hold your self busy with driving your bike, the form will not be taking place 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 advised Cyclingnews throughout his look Friday at a pop-up retailer in Leuven for manufacturers together with BMC and Pirelli.
“I feel it is fairly particular, as a result of we now have, after all, a number of Belgians going to begin. But it surely’s not going to be like in an actual group. I feel it is fairly a person sport. It is also not that it is created by the federation, the place within the street they’ve to select eight or 9 guys a group. So I feel 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 a bit of bit totally different. I am nonetheless driving my bike quite a bit, however, you do not reside the skilled life anymore, which can be good.”
In 2024, his first yr away from the WorldTour and street 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 yr’s UCI Gravel World Championships on his house turf, he desires to have an excellent experience.
“I’ll attempt to do my greatest. I’ve, after all, the talents and the data easy methods to do it, however typically the legs do not reply that good anymore to what you need. However I feel I’ve a good degree. It is not so distant from house. After which I used to be additionally considering, why not? Why not attempt.
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“Profitable this type of stuff, I feel that can be out of attain. I feel prime 15, prime 20, on this parcours, I can be completely happy. So we are going to see. I am nonetheless having fun with it [racing] however the degree, after all, will not 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 doubtful to begin, Dutchman Mathieu van der Poel.
“If you need to choose one title the place you need to put your cash on, I feel most likely it will likely be Mathieu [van der Poel]. I feel if you happen to see his degree from final week on a parcours that perhaps will not be the very best for him, then I feel you’ll be able to anticipate that he gonna be the winner on Sunday,” Van Avermaet mentioned with a light-weight chortle.
“So I feel that man has the talents, 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 type of stuff.”
Van der Poel may 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 street. Van Avermaet just like the course, regardless that he mentioned it may have been designed with extra climbs.
“I prefer it, yeah, I feel it is Belgium, you can not change it. We’ve got punchy climbs, not an excessive amount of. We’ve got a number of buildings, and the small components of nature we now have are fairly protected, particularly in Flanders. There are fairly some corners additionally. So I feel grading this parcours is kind of exhausting,” he confirmed.
“It is form of a Classics model, like Tour of Flanders. It is that form of parcours. I feel in the event that they actually needed to make it quite a bit tougher, we now have just a few extra climbs, but it surely’s good, an excellent mixture.
“It is this type of gravel, the roads are usually not broad, you need to be in entrance. And this can make the race exhausting. In the event you’re too far [behind], you might have this type of accordion that you just’re enjoying, and it is exhausting to meet up with the primary guys. And that may make the race very exhausting I feel.”
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 yr a buddy 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 street execs Jelle Wallays (Cofidis) and Sven Vanthourenhout, who has been the nationwide biking coach for Belgium. Van Avermaet completed thirteenth general, third in his class (M35-39) and 5 spots forward of Wallays whereas Vanthourenhout was seventh in his class (M40-44).
“There was one, after all, in Belgium, and I mentioned, yeah, why not attempt? I solely beginning biking after I was 18 years outdated, 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 ultimately, it does 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 anticipate you are gonna win, but it surely’s not at all times that straightforward”. Van Avermaet certified for the 70.3 Ironman World Championship in Spain subsequent yr.
“However in triathlon, folks actually respect 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 yr. So I can be there additionally one other one.”
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