"I really suffered": Retired Greg van Avermaet reaches Top 20 at the World Gravel Championships
Gravel
The level in the world of gravel continues to rise, and not even an Olympic champion like Greg Van Avermaet is exempt from feeling it. The Belgian cyclist, officially retired since 2023, participated this weekend in the UCI Gravel World Championship held between Beek and Maastricht (181.1 km), where he achieved a creditable 19th place after a tough day that he himself described as "very demanding".
"I really suffered," Van Avermaet confessed to WielerFlits after crossing the finish line more than five minutes behind the winner, his compatriot Florian Vermeersch (4:39:12). "I'm just below the level needed to keep up with the pace in the elite. Especially against the WorldTour riders, you can tell they have an extra. From the start to the finish, I was at my limit."
At 40, Van Avermaet remains competitive, but acknowledged that gravel at this level is "too fast a discipline to do after your professional career." He added that "there are no freebies and you have to pedal constantly. There is hardly any protection from the peloton and you need total concentration. The course was very technical, with a lot of fast corners that forced you to accelerate every time. You can't underestimate it."
The start of the race was especially tough, as he explained: "During the first two hours it was very difficult to stay well positioned. If you arrived in 80th position on a gravel section, you had to spend a lot of energy to get back to the front. I'm sure everyone ended up exhausted."
A tough but fair course
Despite the suffering, Van Avermaet was satisfied with his performance: "I got the most out of myself. You have to remember that I've been retired for two years. I still do some gravel riding, but the difference in level with the active WorldTour riders is very big. I can't be unhappy. For my chances, it was the perfect course."
He also had words of praise for the event in general, which he considers a good promotion for this emerging modality of cycling. "I think that on television it also looked very good. It's nice not to have a single group that stays together until the finish line. There was tactical play. It's a beautiful discipline, but also very hard," he said with a smile.
Florian Vermeersch, world gravel champion 2025
The race was dominated by Belgian Florian Vermeersch, who was crowned world champion after 181 kilometers of a challenging course. He was joined on the podium by Dutchman Frits Biesterbos, 40 seconds behind, and Slovenian Matej Mohorič, 1 minute and 23 seconds behind.
Van Avermaet's 19th place, more than 5 minutes behind the winner, places him as one of the best ex-professionals in the classification, in a competition that also featured other well-known names such as Jan Bakelants and Johnny Hoogerland, also retired from professional road cycling.
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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.
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- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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