"With these legs and a bit of luck, I think there could be good results" - Greg van Avermaet still confident of Classics success

Although Greg van Avermaet failed to really trouble the podium on the opening Classics weekend of the season, the experienced Belgian is still confident of achieving success in the coming weeks.

Finishes of 34th and 81st at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne respectively were hardly what the AG2R Citroen Team rider would have envisioned. Nevertheless, van Avermaet is keeping his chin up. "Last year I finished third in De Omloop, but the feeling was different this time. So I look at the classics with a positive feeling," he says. "Of course there are always men who are much better for the moment. But with these legs and a bit of luck, I think there could be good results."

The biggest obstacle for van Avermaet to overcome if he does wish to add to his palmares this spring may not be an individual rider, but instead, the juggernaut that is the Jumbo-Visma train. Taking victory at both the Omloop and in Kuurne through Dylan van Baarle and Tiesj Benoot. Neither are the rider that has most impressed van Avermaet however.

"I have always found Jan Tratnik a very underrated rider," he says. "That was proven again on Saturday. If he can ride in a strong collective and is at the front, he is one of the strongest riders in the peloton. Going on altitude training and starting to weigh the food. I think that's the key. I was still in the race yesterday thinking it might be time to go on an altitude training. But it's not always easy to plan for that."