4 August 2017, Santa Rosa, California (USA)
Greg Van Avermaet will return to racing at the Binck Bank Tour next week as he spearheads BMC Racing Team’s General Classification ambitions at the UCI WorldTour race.
Sports Director Valerio Piva believes that BMC Racing Team is taking a well-rounded team to the seven-day stage race.
“We have seen year after year that Greg performs well here and it is the kind of race where he can target the General Classification so, he will be our leader next week. There are a lot of UCI WorldTour points on offer at this race which is also a motivating factor for him. I think we are taking a strong team that can perform on all levels at this race. Stefan Küng will be in good form after the Tour de France and we will see what he can do on the stage 2 time trial. This day could make a difference overall so I think Stefan will also be a protected rider. Traditionally, stage one is a sprinters’ stage and for that we have Jempy Drucker while Michael Schär, who is coming out of the Tour also, Nathan Van Hooyondck, Loïc Vliegen and Manuel Quinziato are all great support riders for the team,” Piva said.
Van Avermaet is feeling confident as he heads back to the start line after narrowly missing out on a podium position in 2016.
“I had good sensations at Clasica Ciclista San Sebastian and Binck Bank Tour is always a race that suits me. I just missed out on a spot on the podium last year so I am looking forward to racing here once again. I am feeling really motivated and it is always nice to be back racing in Belgium,” Van Avermaet explained.
Binck Bank Tour (7 – 13 August)
Rider Roster: Jempy Drucker (LUX), Stefan Küng (SUI), Manuel Quinziato (ITA), Michael Schär (SUI), Miles Scotson (AUS), Greg Van Avermaet (BEL), Nathan Van Hooydonck (BEL), Loïc Vliegen (BEL)
Sports Directors: Valerio Piva (ITA), Fabio Baldato (ITA)
