Greg Van Avermaet has confirmed to Cyclingnews he will decide on his future in cycling after the end of the current spring Classics season but insisted he still loves racing, with sickness rather than motivation, stopping him from being near his best.
The AG2R Citroën Classics leader has Paris-Roubaix, Gent-Wevelgem, E3 Harelbeke and two editions of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on his palmarès, but the 2023 spring campaign has been difficult and so might end up being his last.
"I still enjoy racing, I try to give my best every day. If I didn’t enjoy it I’d stop," Van Avermaet told Cyclingnews before the start of Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday.
"I’m hoping for better legs for Tour of Flanders and then for Paris-Roubaix too. I still have big races where I want to be good. Then we’ll see where we go for the future."
Van Avermaet fell ill after Tirreno-Adriatico and so missed Milan-San Remo and some vital training just before the Classics. He hopes his form is coming up.
"I’m not 100% after being sick. But if I’d had good preparation and was still riding like I’m doing now, then I’d say: 'F*ck! There’s something wrong.' But I know what the problem is. I’ve been sick, so I hope things will get better soon."
Still, Van Avermaet, who turns 38 in May, appears to have downgraded his ambitions after a rough few years. He dominated the Spring of 2017 but now looks resigned to never fulfilling his dream of winning the Tour of Flanders - the one big hold in his Classics palmarès.
"It’s hard to get back to the level because it’s super high," he said as Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, and Tadej Pogačar prepare to take centre stage at Flanders.
"I think if I can reach a good level, I’m always close to a top-10 result. I don't think I'd win because the others are super strong and I have my age too. But if I’m good, I can still get a top-10 and that’d be nice."
Van Avermaet will therefore decide in April whether he continues his career into 2024 or whether he hangs up his wheels at the end of this year.
Either way, he encouraged others to enjoy the good times while they last. Despite boasting one of the most impressive Classics palmarès in the peloton, Van Avermaet has often been criticised in the Belgian press due to not winning his home race, the Tour of Flanders.
Earlier this week he said he sympathised with Wout van Aert, who has endured outside criticism of his 'gifting' of the Gent-Wevelgem title to Jumbo-Visma teammate Christophe Laporte, as well as questions over his lack of a Flanders or Roubaix title.
"Sometimes it can be frustrating," Van Avermaet told Het Nieuwsblad. "You can perform very well and achieve many things, but you still get criticised for not winning. That's a bit strange.
"I say the same thing to these guys who are so good – you have to enjoy it when things are going well. Of course, everyone wants to win and it won't always happen. The wins are important but it's just nice to be able to make the race, and you have to enjoy that."
