Greg van Avermaet: From Olympic cycling champion to triathlon world champion

Greg van Avermaet was already an all-rounder on the bike. The Belgian won two stages of the Tour de France, defeating Peter Sagan in a sprint, and once rode up and away from everyone in the Massif Central. A year later, he won Olympic gold on the extremely mountainous 4,900 metre climb in Rio de Janeiro, where climbing specialists were actually considered the favourites. Surprising, because the man from Grembergen was primarily regarded as a classics specialist. In 2017, he crowned an extremely successful classics campaign with victory in Paris-Roubaix. He will end his career as a professional cyclist at the end of 2023 - but he has obviously remained ambitious and versatile. He can also swim and run for endurance, as he is currently proving. Last weekend, the 40-year-old won the title of triathlon world champion 70.3. In Marbella, Spain, he was the fastest in the 40-44 age group over half the Ironman distance. Van Avermaet needed 4:15:56 minutes for 1.9 kilometres of swimming, 90 kilometres of cycling and the final half marathon (21.1 kilometres).

>> Greg Van Avermaet - Olympic champion & Roubaix conqueror

No half measures - not even as a triathlete

Van Avermaet was around half an hour slower than the professional world champion, his compatriot Jelle Geen, who completed the three disciplines in 3:42:54 hours. The ex-professional cyclist needed around 2:16 hours for the 90 kilometre bike split and was therefore around seven minutes slower than the fastest triathlon pro, the German Rico Bogen. The Belgian had prepared meticulously beforehand. "As an ex-professional, I can't do things by halves," he said before the start. Just a few weeks ago, he had also competed in the Gravel World Championships in Limburg, Netherlands. There he finished 19th in the elite race. "Greg van Avermaet has achieved something in triathlon that he has never managed in road cycling," commented Velo magazine on the news of his World Championship title win. The all-rounder never even made it onto the podium at road world championships - now he can call himself world champion. Even if only in the age category.