'I rode myself to death': Greg Van Avermaet refocusing after 'frustrating' Milan-San Remo
The Belgian was left frustrated after Milan-San Remo but hopes to channel that into success in the cobbled Classics

Greg Van Avermaet (CCC Team) is forced to refocus ahead of the E3 BinckBank Classic and Ghent-Wevelgem after "riding himself to death" in a frustrating series of races cumulating in with Milan-San Remo.
Van Avermaet lost position ahead of the climb to the Poggio on Saturday and missed what he saw as a chance to win.
>>> Tour of Flanders 2019 provisional start list
"I rode myself to death, doing 480 watts with nine sprints of 800 watts to reach the others," he told Het Laatste Nieuws.
"You must take your own responsibility. I don't blame my team for anything, I blame myself. I could have hit my head through the wall. I was so mad at myself. I am disappointed in myself. Maybe I should comfort myself with the thought that I had no guarantee that I was going to win that sprint."
Van Avermaet rode to 42nd in San Remo behind winner Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-Quick-Step). It was the second time, after 2017, that he left the Italian Monument upset about missing his chance.
"And for the second time I was not there. I was too far on the Poggio. Frustrating, especially when you see how many people rode to the finish line. I had to be there," he said.
"I felt pretty good. At a kilometre and a half from the foot of the Poggio, I was still in the front of Michael Schär's wheel, but I lost him in the turns and pushing. I tried to find my own way, but everywhere I went I got blocked."
He needed to be "more attentive, more aggressive" leading to Milan-San Remo's final climb.
"It's not like in the Tour of Flanders, for sure. The run-up [to the Poggio] is too easy, so to speak, we are still together with 200 riders. You can't let your legs speak for themselves. That makes it a little harder, and I don't like it," he continued.
"There have been years when I was the first on the Poggio. But there are no excuses. Simple, it's my fault."
The frustration comes after finishing second in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and a stage in Tirreno-Adriatico.
Van Averment, winner of the 2017 Paris-Roubaix and the 2016 Olympic road race, returned home to Belgium to face a series of cobbled races starting with the E3 BinckBank Classic on Friday and Ghent-Wevelgem on Sunday. Next weekend, he leads the Tour of Flanders team.
"It's always exciting to get to this point in the season, the final races before Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix," he said in a press release.
"I feel good and am confident in the shape I have after Italy. It was frustrating to have a few near misses so I'm going to channel that frustration into these classics and hope to be back on the podium."
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
-
Former Tour de France yellow jersey wearer to ride Unbound Gravel
Unbound 200 contestants will be joined by a gravel newcomer of note this year. Former Tour de France race leader Jan Bakelants is joining in on the fray.
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
POC Ventral Tempus MIPS Review - A helmet for riding in the rain, and being seen
Bright, light and comfortable, but not cheap
By Tyler Boucher • Published
-
Greg Van Avermaet, Olympic champion, Roubaix winner, to retire from cycling at the end of 2023
The Belgian says he has "no regrets" as he will head out of the peloton aged 38
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Eight riders to watch in the men's Strade Bianche 2023
Wout van Aert sits out due to illness, opening the door for a potentially new winner in the Piazza del Campo
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Tour de Yorkshire to be replaced with new look cycling event in 2024
Tour de Yorkshire not due to return to north of England, although initial plans announced for new cycling event in area
By Tom Thewlis • Last updated
-
Biniam Girmay shares photo of eye-catching new helmet design
Eritrean rider shares image of new boxing cork design on cafe stop during training ride
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
How the team with the smallest budget in the WorldTour is overtaking the competition: The rise of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert
The Belgian team has been punching above their weight all season
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Biniam Girmay's stage 11 start in question after podium mishap
Eritrean stage-winner injured his eye with a cork during podium celebrations
By Adam Becket • Last updated
-
'Unbelievable': Biniam Girmay seizes opportunity in watershed moment for cycling
Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert rider becomes first Eritrean Grand Tour stage winner
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Racing every race like it's the last of the season: how smaller teams are overperforming this year
Lotto-Soudal and Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux have won 11 races between them in 2022 after just 21 in all of last year, so what's going on?
By Adam Becket • Published