Greg van Avermaet, who is doing a great season with three victories (a stage win at Tirreno-Adriatico, a stage win and the overall classification at Baloise Belgium Tour), would be selected to ride the Tour de France. But with his partner Ellen, they are expecting their first child. "The team has to decide who will ride the Tour", Van Avermaet told Het Nieuwsblad. "The birth of my first son or daughter takes precedence for me. I definitely want to be there, Tour de France or not."

He has already studied the Tour de France route. He added that during the first week, he would be able to win a stage. "There are the cobbles [on stage four], but I’m also a type that can do well uphill. The first week there are some possibilities for a stage win but the Mur de Huy is just too difficult for me. The stage with the Mur de Bretagne I will see or sit back. Then it goes to the Pyrenees and it is nothing more for me. I am now waiting to see how the pregnancy of my wife runs. The birth takes precedence over everything, and my Tour participation, therefore, depends on that."