Greg Van Avermaet

[Taxus4a]

Re:

That's like what 1.79 and 69 in non-random measurements.

I am 177-78 and 75 Kg, so he cant be 1 79, he is clearly taller than me:

 

[Taxus4a]

I read 1,81 in most of links, that is possible.

 

[scurrrr]

Nice bumbag bro

 

[Taxus4a]

By the way, I took that picture in San Sebastian 2011, the year when Gilbert was unbeatable. But Greg thought seriously he can win the race acording what I talked with him.

Gilbert got the race coming for a criterium, sleep just 6 hours and won as he wanted.

Samu was second and he said from the beginning Gilbert was untouchable.

 

[BigMac]

RAD!

Gold Jawbreakers, I hope they gonna sell those.

 

[Netserk]

Would be even better if he had a golden helmet as well

 

[Billie]

The BMC logo on the front will be in gold aswell. This is same jersey as Samu wears

 

[maxmayer555]

that is the rest of his year:
28/08 Bretagne Classic - Plouay
05/09 Dernyfestival Wetteren
09/09 Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec
11/09 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
17/09 Primus Classic Impanis-Van Petegem
19/09 Eneco Tour:
-
25/09 Eneco Tour WT
01/10 Giro di Lombardia
09/10 Paris-Tours
16/10 WK Doha

 

[Dazed and Confused]

Good schedule indeed. Golden Bike? Well, as long as the aggressive riding continues I can look past the style issues.

 

[robin440]

Re:

The BMC logo on the front will be in gold aswell. This is same jersey as Samu wears

Really? that would be nice

 

[Ricco']

Re:

that is the rest of his year:
28/08 Bretagne Classic - Plouay
05/09 Dernyfestival Wetteren
09/09 Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec
11/09 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
17/09 Primus Classic Impanis-Van Petegem
19/09 Eneco Tour:
-
25/09 Eneco Tour WT
01/10 Giro di Lombardia
09/10 Paris-Tours
16/10 WK Doha

He doesn't go to the European Championships? The parcours with the Cote de Cadoudal suits him very much, I think.

 

[Echoes]

Needless to say that this bike and the kit is ugly and shamelessly commercial. I'm sure that Greg didn't want that but was forced to conventionally accept.

Thank goodness, no special helmet.

 

[Echoes]

Interview of Golden Greg for the Morgen on September 9 (before the two French-Canadian races)

Praised and celebrated, Van Avermaet still wants nothing but racing

I can also win Liege

Greg tried his best to keep his condition and train well despite all the agitation around him after his Olympic success: he’s far more often requested for interviews, even by the foreign press, the people in his hometown Hamme-Zogge get crazy. Wait & see if it worked [meanwhile we’ve seen that]. It’ll be a tough winter. He was already accustomed to all kinds of obligations but there’s gonna be more of them by now.

Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix are very important to him. He also wants to be World Champion. He feels like he’s got it in him. This year he does not say it’s his big objective, he’s gonna be marked and the route does not suit him.

This season, he no longer needs any win but any win is a good bonus. It’s much easier to recover from a win than from a crash at the Tour of Flanders. I’ve always had good results in Canada.

I got more economical but winning a race like a robber, I cannot.

The Tour of the Low Countries is nothing. There’s only one nice stage, to Geraardsbergen. He finds it disappointing that there are no Ardennes stages.

His main victories are all on hard routes and he also contemplates trying to win Liege. He was 7th in 2011 and that was not the same Van Avermaet that he is not sitting in front of you. He thinks he has his chances to win Liege but it’s still not on his agenda. First he wants to win the Tour of Flanders.

He still tries to race in the same way despite being more economical. In Rio, he was always in front. It’s still his way to win. He cannot win like a stealer. He likes racing hard races better. Then he can make the difference.

 

[Netserk]

I for one really appreciate the balance he now has in his racing style. He is simply more of a killer now, going all in for the win (even if he has to sacrifice what some find 'romantic') while always trying his best. I still like Sagan more, but truth is that there's a whole lot of very likeable racers around now, like Sep and Kwiat as well.

 

[Flamin]

Greg would be one of the top favourites in Liège for sure if he went for it. Problem is that he has to make choices. A full cobble spring program is uncombinable with top shape in Liège. Maybe he can drop Paris-Roubaix, like Gilbert in 2011, to be fresher in the Ardennes, because his chances are pretty limited there anyway. I think it's worth a shot.

I'm also curious for Amstel next year now that Gilbert leaves and he can finally ride for himself.

 

[Valv.Piti]

I definitely prefer Greg over Sagan. Too bad Eneco and WC routes are horrible and the Lombardia most likely will be too hard, he would really have been able to top of an insane season considering he missed his biggest goals (I assume Flanders was a bigger goal than OR?).

 

[Flamin]

Re:

I definitely prefer Greg over Sagan. Too bad Eneco and WC routes are horrible and the Lombardia most likely will be too hard, he would really have been able to top of an insane season considering he missed his biggest goals (I assume Flanders was a bigger goal than OR?).

Lombardia does the 2014 route again apparently, so it's a very good parcours for Greg.

And ORR was his biggest goal of the year.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re: Re:

I definitely prefer Greg over Sagan. Too bad Eneco and WC routes are horrible and the Lombardia most likely will be too hard, he would really have been able to top of an insane season considering he missed his biggest goals (I assume Flanders was a bigger goal than OR?).

Lombardia does the 2014 route again apparently, so it's a very good parcours for Greg.

And ORR was his biggest goal of the year.

Nah, the Lombardia-route is much tougher than 2014, with with the same finish. A notch above ORR in difficulty, in my estimation. Almost a pure climbers classics (I realise they said that about ORR as well).

Oh, thats surprising. I didn't realise he was so confident about his chances in that race. Apparently, he was one of the few who got the recon right. Or maybe he just wanted it more.

 

[roundabout]

Re: Re:

I definitely prefer Greg over Sagan. Too bad Eneco and WC routes are horrible and the Lombardia most likely will be too hard, he would really have been able to top of an insane season considering he missed his biggest goals (I assume Flanders was a bigger goal than OR?).

Lombardia does the 2014 route again apparently, so it's a very good parcours for Greg.

And ORR was his biggest goal of the year.

Lombardia route 2016

viewtopic.php?p=2017309#p2017309

Edit: Eneco isn't great, but at least he should have a decent enough team for the TTT to still have a chance at the overall

 

[Flamin]

Ahh, totally missed they announced the route. Looks nice.

Valv, yes, check the first post of the previous page ORR was on his mind for a long time.

 

[Echoes]

Greg would be one of the top favourites in Liège for sure if he went for it. Problem is that he has to make choices. A full cobble spring program is uncombinable with top shape in Liège. Maybe he can drop Paris-Roubaix, like Gilbert in 2011, to be fresher in the Ardennes, because his chances are pretty limited there anyway. I think it's worth a shot.

But I think he's also got chances in Roubaix if you look at what he did last year, that's the real dilemma because next year, he'll be 32 and he won't have too many years on top afterwards. However for that very reason, I think your suggestion is interesting. He could focus on Liège next year and skip Paris-Roubaix because for Liège, you probably need more explosiveness. In Paris-Roubaix experience prevails, so I guess he should try to give priority to Amstel Gold and Liège and then he will still have time to get back and go for win in Paris-Roubaix

check the first post of the previous page ORR was on his mind for a long time.

But did he seriously consider winning it at that time? In July, the Belgian with most outspoken ambition for Rio was Tim Wellens, the only one talking about a chance for a medal. It all turn round after the Clasica. I think it's when Greg realised he had a chance. From then on Greg was considered the only Belgian with a slight chance by all newspapers. Actually it was said that "Rainman" Tim Wellens wouldn't stand heat (which is what happened). It was quite a switch how papers were betting on Tim first and then on Greg.

 

[F e r o x]

Greg never did a recon of the Olympic route. Thankfully. Sagan did a recon and opted out.

 

[Durden93]

I think GVA should focus on flanders/roubaix for now, and then attempt Liege. He's come so close. Commit fully to them and then commit fully to Liege once has won one of them. A question for the more knowledgeable here: how good is GVA's descending?

 

[Echoes]

When Greg reconed the route a few days before the race he said it was his limit but doable. The Vista Chinesa was hard but not impassable. Had he reconed earlier, that would have been his judgment as well. He would still have done it.

Today Gazet van Antwerpen made an article about the rivalry between Van Avermaet and Sagan.

(I deliberately cropped the pictures with the Slovak’s wheelies, we don’t need such foolishness and lowliness)

here and here in Dutch

Two top riders, two bosses and yet striking differences.
“Sagan is a real personality. A blabbermouth speaking lots of languages. […] While Greg … yeah, Greg is Greg. A personality in his own way. But also a Fleming? He is naturally quieter. Will much less faster open his mouth.” Says Wilfried Peeters.

They all agree that it’s been long since a duo has been so dominant in single-day races as Sagan-Van Avermaet this year. With the two World Cup events [sic] in Canada as an absolute peak.

“Today you simply cannot say who’s the best with the slight nuance that Sagan has more speed on a flat finish while Van Avermaet is better on the tougher routes – the Sagan heavier body is impairing his performances there, but only by a couple of percents.” Says Frederik Willems.

“They are absolutely two different personalities. Sagan is the star. The man with whom you can always laugh [???]. Besides, he’s somebody who stood there very young. He’s a natural-born winner. While Greg who is already naturally much more humble has needed a lot more years and work to be where he is now. Be careful: there’s nothing wrong with it. On the contrary, it’s estimated at its true value. But that’s really him. Everybody likes Sagan, everybody appreciates Van Avermaet. Do you feel the difference?” says Dirk Demol.

“Sagan is the acrobat with aura. Van Avermaet is a hard worker who keeps quiet in all circumstances.” Peeters again.

Sagan has never had to overcome doubts. He turned pro and immediately became a leader and a winner. He’s always had that prestige. With Greg, it’s different. Let’s be honest: for him, it’s long been a story of “just not”. He had to overcome doubts. Even within his own team. Only when Gilbert was kept from the Tour of Flanders against his will, he got full trust from BMC. The audience and the peloton also feel that. It defines your prestige” Willems again.

Jan Bakelants realized during the last Tour of France that Sagan was more than [sic] the playful kid he’s sometimes referred to. He gave the example of riders weeing on the bike, whereby urine lands on riders behind them [lol]. “Sagan saw that and wiped out their mantle” [still a kid’s attitude if you ask me, lol]

“Greg will never seek public attention. Sagan on the other hand.” Willems again.

 

[Flamin]

Greg would be one of the top favourites in Liège for sure if he went for it. Problem is that he has to make choices. A full cobble spring program is uncombinable with top shape in Liège. Maybe he can drop Paris-Roubaix, like Gilbert in 2011, to be fresher in the Ardennes, because his chances are pretty limited there anyway. I think it's worth a shot.

But I think he's also got chances in Roubaix if you look at what he did last year, that's the real dilemma because next year, he'll be 32 and he won't have too many years on top afterwards. However for that very reason, I think your suggestion is interesting. He could focus on Liège next year and skip Paris-Roubaix because for Liège, you probably need more explosiveness. In Paris-Roubaix experience prevails, so I guess he should try to give priority to Amstel Gold and Liège and then he will still have time to get back and go for win in Paris-Roubaix

check the first post of the previous page ORR was on his mind for a long time.

But did he seriously consider winning it at that time? In July, the Belgian with most outspoken ambition for Rio was Tim Wellens, the only one talking about a chance for a medal. It all turn round after the Clasica. I think it's when Greg realised he had a chance. From then on Greg was considered the only Belgian with a slight chance by all newspapers. Actually it was said that "Rainman" Tim Wellens wouldn't stand heat (which is what happened). It was quite a switch how papers were betting on Tim first and then on Greg.

He did well in Paris-Roubaix indeed, but there's still a big difference between that and winning if you see the monster sprint from Degenkolb. Next year features Sagan, Degenkolb, Sep, Boonen,... I think he has a bigger chance against Valverde, Alaphilippe etc. Then in 2018, he could give Paris-Roubaix another shot with a contender less (Boonen).

I think he thought he could win, yes. Why else would he be obsessed with that race if he didn't really believe in himself. The media simply didn't consider Greg, because many people (including De Weert) who reconned the course said it was very hard and one could expect the same guys as in the Tour mountains. That's why his ambitions flew under the radar.

I think it was his family speaking out in Vive le velo about his ambitions and his performances in the Tour that really woke the media up. Clasica San Sebastián was just a confirmation of his good shape.