Lemko Evenpoel is part of the new generation dominating the World Tour peloton. He and his fellow Generation Z riders have pushed the old guard aside, taking the spoils and the spotlight. But Greg Van Avermaat, now 37, is one of the old guard of Flemish cycling, and he is full of admiration.

"Lemko is a soccer player like me, and he started the sport later, just like me. [To be honest, I never expected to see such a player, but to see him winning in Liège and San Sebastián is ...... Impressive. But a Grand Tour is something different and much bigger than that. In a Grand Tour you have to really pay attention to your effort and you have to do well in the third week. I think he did that well."

At the Vuelta a España in September, Evenpoel took the lead on stage 6 and held it until the end, becoming the first Belgian Grand Tour winner since 1978.

Winning the world title in Australia further highlighted his multiple talents and elevated him to the status of a Belgian national hero, much like Van Avermaet after his Olympic success.

"Belgium has had some great classics riders in the past, but they have missed out on the Grand Tour leader.

"We knew what he was capable of, but it's not as if it's going to happen. He did really well and he was good in the mountains. He's only 22 years old and that will be his strength going forward. We can expect a lot from him."

Evenpoel's impressive list of victories this season alone includes not only the Vuelta and Road World Championship titles, but also the Belgian National Championships, Tour of Norway, Volta ao Algarve, Clasica San Sebastian, and Liege-Bastogne-Liege Includes.

Van Avermaat is well aware that the intensity of the Belgian people's expectations is never easy. However, he is confident in Evenpoel's maturity and intelligence and is happy to offer personal advice.

"You might call me lucky to have won the Olympics at the age of 32.

"My advice is to stay calm and run with your feet on the ground. He's 22 years old, he can make mistakes and he can learn from them.

"I think he'll be fine. His ambition is too big to give up. If you want to achieve your goals, that's the most important thing for a sportsman."

As for Juan Avermaat's own goals for this season, he is still chasing success, even though he has been far from success the last few seasons as young riders like Evenpoel dominate the sport, although he did win many prizes in 2022, He has not won a race since the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in 2019.

"The last 18 months have not been that easy," said the AG2R Citroën rider. 'I had some good results, but I wasn't at my level. But I wasn't at my level. I'm working hard every day to get back to a decent level. I am with the best players, but it is a little difficult to leave them. I want to be lucky in the finals and win again

"I'm still motivated and I love my job. As long as I can make the top 10, I can keep doing this job."