Winning Paris-Roubaix might be the dream for many cyclists, but champion Greg van Avermaet would still prefer success at home in Flanders.
The 31-year-old BMC Racing Team rider took his first “Monument” victory at the “Hell of North” on Sunday, outsprinting Czech Zdenek Stybar of Quick-Step Floors and Dutch Cannondale-Drapac rider Sebastian Langeveld in the iconic Roubaix velodrome, but despite earning one of the biggest successes of his life, the Belgian said he has won a greater title and admitted he would still prefer a victory at the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
“For me the Olympics is always going to be my biggest victory, but it’s nice to have a Monument now, otherwise you’ll keep asking: ‘When are you going to win a Monument,’” Van Avermaet told journalists in Roubaix.
Photo: EPA
Until this victory he had many times been the nearly man in Monuments, twice finishing second at the Ronde van Vlaanderen amongst four top four results, while he was third in Paris-Roubaix in 2015 and fourth two years before that.
“I’m happy that finally I’m in this [winner’s] spot. I tried for several years to be sitting here, winning these races — I always believed I could do it,” he said.
However, winning in Flanders, where last week he was second despite a late crash, would top Paris-Roubaix success.
“I was disappointed after the [Ronde van Vlaanderen] race for sure because I was starting with the idea that I was going to win,” the 31-year-old said. “If things happen and you come second, you have to be disappointed if you had the legs to win, but the day after I was the first guy to be happy. I have to say it’s been a great season so far.”
“I wasn’t really down, it’s just the way things go — sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I was motivated to do other good races,” he said. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to win Roubaix. I was going with good motivation to try to do my best and go as far as possible, as I always do. Maybe I wasn’t expecting to win, but I’m really happy I have.”
Van Avermaet said he would now switch his attention from the cobbles to the Ardennes.
“Next week is Amstel [Gold Race], it’s a race I like. I also have a feeling I can do something there,” he said. “Tonight [Sunday] I will make a little party, but tomorrow I will think about Amstel.”
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