Van Avermaet looks for more success in Spain

Following an impressive performance at the Tour de Wallonie, where he took the overall victory and a stage win on the ultimate day, Greg Van Avermaet hopes to continue his winning ways in Spain in the next few weeks. First, the Belgian will be BMC Racing Team's leader at the Clasica San Sebastian on Saturday, and then start the Vuelta in Benidorm on August 20.

"I think I must be about as strong now as I was three years ago, when I won a stage in Wallonie and then made a strong showing in the Vuelta," Van Avermaet told Sportwereld. "That's what I want to do again now."

The BMC rider, who also won a stage in the Tour of Austria earlier this month, will be his team's top man in San Sebastian tomorrow. "On paper, Greg is definitely our guy to ride for," assistant director Michael Sayers said on the team's website. "He's on fantastic form."

Van Avermaet finished 11th in the Spanish Classic last year and will be assisted by Mathias Frank and Martin Kohler - who helped him win the Tour de Wallonie this week - as well as Amaël Moinard, who helped Cadel Evans win the Tour de France, amongst others.

His only concern at this point is the fast turnaround from five days of racing in Belgium. "Hopefully I can recover in two days. We'll see," Van Avermaet said. "Hopefully I'll have good legs on Saturday. With the win in Wallonie, my confidence is good."

Yannick Eijssen, Karsten Kroon, Johann Tschopp and Simon Zahner round out the BMC roster in San Sebastian. Van Avermaet will return to Belgium after the race to compete in the Eneco Tour before heading to the Vuelta.