Greg Van Avermaet
«That was the goal for the day.»
«Even though I didn't have the same legs as I did in A Travers la Flandre on Wednesday, I managed to be there in the final. With my experience in this race, I managed to clinch a podium place. I know that in a classic like the Ronde Van Vlaanderen, which is 254 kilometres long, I still have resources left at the end of the race. The podium was the goal for the day, and I have no regrets today. I am happy to bring this first podium to AG2R CITROËN TEAM, which has invested a lot in the Flemish Classics. The whole team worked hard this winter, we are happy to race together and it is working.»
”After podium finishes at E3 and Gent-Wevelgem, we managed to secure a place among the top three in the world's greatest classic.
JULIEN JURDIE: «The character of a champion»
«We went through a whole range of emotions today. The group was well organised in the early kilometres. Michael Schär's exclusion destabilised the group. At the same time, Greg never gave up, he always pushed forward. He managed to close the gaps to come back. He has the character of a champion and he showed that again today. We're going for our first podium finish in this race, it was a great moment to experience that! After podium finishes at E3 and Gent-Wevelgem, we've managed to get among the top three in the world's greatest classic. We can be proud and it gives us a lot of motivation for the future.»
The information
Sarrau third in the Roue Tourangelle
Marc Sarreau secured his first podium finish of the season by taking third place in the Roue Tourangelle, the third round of the Coupe de France. «With the wind, it was a bit tense all day. Despite that, we had a good team race. And at the finish line, I was beaten by someone stronger than me. It's my first podium finish of the season, I'm not in peak form yet, but it gives me motivation for the rest of the season.» In the French Cup standings, Aurélien Paret-Peintre is third (leader of the young riders), Marc Sarreau fifth. We still lead the team standings.
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The figure
Since 2014, Greg Van Avermaet has competed in the Ronde Van Vlaanderen seven times. He has finished on the podium four times. Second in 2014 and 2017, he finished third in 2015 and again in 2021.
