"I had hoped for more respect" - Greg van Avermaet disappointed to miss out on Tour de France selection in final year

In his final year as a professional bike rider, Greg van Avermaet had targeted one last appearance at the Tour de France. When his AG2R Citroen Team announced their lineup for the race however, the Belgian was notable by his absence.

“I wonder why I have trained so hard in the past few weeks. I really hoped they would take me with them, if only because it would be my last time, my tenth Tour too. Besides, I wasn't riding badly either, I thought," the 38-year-old laments in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. “That they needed more climbers. And that they had expected more from my performance at the Critérium du Dauphiné. While I really did everything they asked of me.”

Van Avermaet is a two-time stage winner at the Tour de France and has previously worn the Maillot Jaune and he admits, the fact that he has now missed out on a final swansong is a blow. “I didn't expect my name to be the first on paper, but those three last names that had to be filled in, I had hoped to be there," he explains. "The Tour selection used to be obvious, since last year I realize that this is no longer the case. But I don't hide that this is a sour pill to swallow. I had hoped for more respect for what I did in the Tour. And, again, I was riding well after the classics.”

“The Tour was still a big goal and that is now gone. Dealing with disappointments is part of the life of a top athlete, but this one is very hard," he continues. "I'm still too ambitious to get this news. I'm not the type to blow off. I want to finish my career as best as possible and would therefore have liked to have ridden the Tour. But you also have to be able to deal with adversity.”