Tour of Oman

Tour of Oman | February 13-18 | Oman

The manner of Greg van Avermaet’s victory in stage three of the Tour of Oman last week showed the Olympic champion is ready for the upcoming races of the European spring. Not only was he able to power away from his rivals on the technical, uphill finish to Wadi Dayqah Dam, his BMC team-mates positioned him perfectly, showing they are also prepared for battle.

The Belgian had even been leading the GC until Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) snatched overall victory on the decisive Green Mountain summit finish.

Van Avermaet will return to Europe this week, taking a couple of easy days to acclimatise after the Middle Eastern heat before Het Nieuwsblad this Saturday. Last year was his second consecutive victory at the event, setting him on course for an extraordinary spring which brought further wins at Ghent-wevelgem, E3 Harelbeke and Paris-roubaix along with a host of top 10 placings.

“I am confident it really starts at Nieuwsblad, I think I cannot go better at the moment,” van Avermaet said last week in Oman. “Even if the shape is as good as last year it will be hard to beat, races have to go perfect, but hopefully I can win some other races. For sure Flanders would be really nice to win.”

His home Monument has so far evaded the Belgian, though other than 2016 when he crashed out, he has finished in the top 10 in every edition since 2012, and last year’s second place was third podium placing there.

“It is obviously the race that suits me the best but it is not on my palmarès, so it is the race I am aiming for,” he said.

While his 2017 season was exceptional, and van Avermaet has been one of the peloton’s most consistent performers, Nathan Haas (Katusha-alpecin) and Alexander Kristoff (Uae-emirates) were also successful in Oman, so the Belgian is unlikely to have the Classics all his own way.