"I still think I made the right decision at the right time" - Greg Van Avermaet doesn't regret retiring at the end of last season

Among the professionals testing the most famous and feared climbs featured at the Tour of Flanders, you could spot Greg Van Avermaet too. The 38-year-old Belgian is no longer fighting for glory on the Belgian roads as he retired last year. However he still tries to remain active, which was one of the reasons why he joined the gravel Team Last Dance.

"Things are going well. I’m doing this because I still like to ride my bike and because it’s a bit of an in-between thing from professional cycling and retirement," Van Avermaet told GCN. "I didn’t want to stop moving abruptly. In these terms, gravel is perfect because you can stay fit."

"I miss it a lot because cycling has always been passion, it’s never been my work. Also, retirement was more of a decision from the head than one from the heart because even last year with some less good results, I was still enjoying what I was doing," he explains.

"It’s hard to say but at 38 or 39 it’s about time. I tried as much as possible over the last few years but the results weren’t really coming. Sometimes it was down to bad luck but before I never really had bad luck so when you get a bit older it’s time to stop."

"It’s never easy, regardless of whether you’re forced to stop or it’s your own decision. It’s always a big change in life and it’s about adapting to a new life. It’s normal to struggle at times but that’s part of the process that you need to get through. I still think I made the right decision at the right time, and that I didn’t leave it too late."