Van Avermaet to close busy season in Abu Dhabi Tour
BMC hoping to end year 'on a good note'
Greg Van Avermaet will close out his busy season with the BMC Racing Team at the Abu Dhabi Tour later this week.
The Olympic champion began his season in February at the Tour of Qatar, where he finished third overall, and continued with wins in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Tirreno-Adriatico, and a stage of the Tour de France before claiming the gold medal in the road race in Rio.
"It's been a really successful season for me, but a long one, so I'm looking forward to wrapping up the 2016 season with the Abu Dhabi Tour. The four stages aren't necessarily tailored to me but we'll all be trying whatever we can to finish the season off well. This late in the season everyone is tired so anything can happen," Van Avermaet said.
BMC Racing Sports Director Yvon Ledanois did not name Van Avermaet as leader for the race, and is opting to allow any of the six riders on the team to take their own chances in the race.
"It has been a busy season for our riders so for this last race of 2016 I think mental strength will be just as important as motivation for producing a good result but we definitely have the right team for the job," Ledanois said.
"While we aren't going into the race with a specific leader, we will look to take advantage of any opportunity presented to us and we will be giving every rider the chance to finish the season on a good note."
BMC Racing for the Abu Dhabi Tour: Tom Bohli, Jempy Drucker, Floris Gerts, Ben Hermans, Michael Schär and Greg Van Avermaet.
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