Greg Van Avermaet’s dream of winning a Monument came true when he raised his arms in celebration crossing the finish line first at Paris-Roubaix.
“This is the maybe the race I would say I was not able to win”, said Van Avermaet. “When I first came here I was so tired at the finish line, and it was not really what I was expected but I am so happy that I did it. I think everything went perfectly. For me the Olympics will always be my greatest win but now it’s really nice to have a Monument too.”
“I was a bit afraid of Zdenek Stybar (Quickstep-Floors) because he was not working with us but then the sprint felt really good and I was really fast after this kind of long race. I was really confident in my sprint because I have sprinted several times from a small group. At the end of a hard race I’m always one of the fastest guys. I went onto the track with the thought that I was going to win. I’m really happy to win my first Monument because I have had to wait a really long time to finally get on the big spot of the podium.”
“I had a little bit of bad luck before the Arenberg but the team really did a good job and everyone was in a good spot for me. I think Daniel Oss in the end did a really good job to put me in the best spot. I think every small piece came together and that’s why I won. I felt really strong at the end and I was believing in myself and my chances and I was really happy that I could finish it off in the sprint.”
“For sure I’m happy that I am now in this position. I tried for so many years to sit in this spot at these kind of races. I always believed that I could do it but you also need the results. When you win, you get more confident and the team gets more confident. It’s nice to win on the last day of Tom Boonen. I was looking last night at Wikipedia at Tom’s results and his career is so impressive. He won four times here and it’s to be part of his last race”.
