As the BMC team became CCC, following a frantic and protracted search from Jim Ochowicz for a new sponsor, more than half the riders jumped ship. Greg Van Avermaet, however, stayed put and the Belgian Classics star now finds himself as the talisman of a set-up that looks very different indeed.
At the team's December training camp in Denia, Spain – their first full get-together – Van Avermaet sat down with Cyclingnews to discuss why he stayed loyal, how he's building a new-look Classics group, and what he expects from the 2019 campaign.
Cyclingnews: You spent most of the season with uncertainty hanging over you. How stressful was that?
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Greg Van Avermaet: Quite stressful. Every rider wants to sign before the Tour. The problem is you can argue about contracts and what your team and other teams can offer you, but this time it wasn't sure my team was going to exist anymore, so it was different. I said to Och 'I want to stay loyal to the team and I can keep it going a little longer', but I was not expecting it to take that long. In the end, I'm super happy CCC decided to come in – for myself but also to keep this going for Andy Rihs, who sponsored cycling for so many years.
CN: You could have signed elsewhere almost instantly. Why was it so important to stay loyal?
GVA: They supported me over so many years. I arrived in 2011 as more of a helper for others, and I made my way to the top. I finally came to the situation where I wanted to be, I had to fight for a pretty long time to be capable as a leader for the classics, and the last two years I was in this position, so I didn't want to just give it away for nothing. If your boss supports you over all those years I'm not going be the first guy who leaves at the first offer, so it's about respect, and being honest with each other, which Jim was with me. He was always clear, saying 'we have no sponsor but we're working on it, you can decide if you stay or not and how long to wait'. I was always trusting him, and he was always really correct with me.
Building a new Classics group
One big win worth more than a few small ones
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/greg-van-avermaet-and-the-new-dawn-at-ccc
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