Van Avermaet rues missed opportunity at Strade Bianche but enjoys the hard racing

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Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) wins 2017 Strade Bianche (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)

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Zdenek Stybar (QuickStep - Floors), Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) and Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)

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Tim Wellens (Lotto Soudal), Greg Van Avermaet (BMC) and Zdenek Stybar (Quick-Step Floors) (Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)

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Greg Van Avermaet and Tim Wellens finish second and third in Strade Bianche (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)

Greg van Avermaet (BMC Racing) was disappointed to finish second at Strade Bianche and regretted letting Michal Kwiatkowski (Team Sky) go clear alone with 15km to race, yet he managed to raise a smile after the finish in Siena’s Piazza del Campo, knowing he had been in a great race.

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Kwiatkowski solos to Strade Bianche victory

More to come in April

Van Avermaet is in impressive form for early March. He beat Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) to win Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for a second consecutive time last weekend and showed his form with a series of powerful and aggressive attacks during Strade Bianche.

His winter training was delayed after suffering a non-displaced fibula fracture during a mountain bike ride in November. He underwent surgery but seems to have quickly found his form.