Greg Van Avermaet is no longer part of the road peloton, having retired two years ago. The 2016 Olympic champion enjoyed a splendid road career, and after finishing his mission, he took his skills off the road. Gravel racing seems to be mandatory for the retired ex-pros, but Van Avermaet has taken things one step further... and became a triathlon World Champion!
The former professional had already made a lasting impression at the 70.3 Ironman in Nice this June when he finished second overall, best in his age category (40-44). Afterwards we've seen Van Avermaet train a lot in Spain, including a chance encounter with current road star Mathieu van der Poel, who is building up condition for the cyclocross season.
And all of that hard work, combined with Van Avermaet's undeniable talent came to fruition at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Marbella, Spain, on Sunday. The Belgian was fastest in the age-group and thus added another valuable triumph to his extensive palmares.
"Swimming in the sea is not something I'm used to. In that event, it's all about choosing the right position and maintaining an overview along the way. For example, I swam a long way wrong in Knokke. Then there are those transitions, in which I have little experience. You can train for weeks the right way, but in a race, it looks completely different," Van Avermaet told Het Nieuwsblad the week before the World Championships.
"I've obviously made more time for that over the past month, about twice a week. But I can't really gain that much by swimming even more. Once I'm on the bike, I can really go all out, even though I'm not used to pushing ninety kilometers on a time trial bike."
Some would have expected the Belgian to take the race in a more leisurely pace, but the 40-year-old clearly prepared to the best of his abilities, as he would do for every big road event in the past: "Anyone who's ever been a full-time professional wants to prepare perfectly for every sporting challenge and not do things halfway."
The question is whether Van Avermaet will defend his world title next year. "I haven't decided yet what next year will bring," he said in the same interview with Het Nieuwsblad. "I'm qualified for the 2026 World Championships in Nice, and I might very well seize that opportunity. In any case, my goal is to gradually phase out my competitive riding and continue only recreationally. I'm getting on in years now."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 7visitors 6
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments