Greg Van Avermaet's Tour de France participation has been in doubt but yesterday the Belgian was selected for the BMC team. Van Avermaet travels to France despite having a pregnant girlfriend. "I take a small risk, but hopefully the baby will not be born prematurely," said Van Avermaet.

BMC has set its sights on a good final classification with Tejay van Garderen. The team will be almost entirely in the service of the American the American and so had to see how Greg Van Avermaet would fit into that plan.

BMC realizes that with Van Avermaet will be an asset in the attractive opening week, but his pregnant girlfriend could constitute an obstacle to the Tour plans of the American formation.

The birth of the baby is scheduled for the end of July, but Van Avermaet will still do the Tour. "If the child is born at the predicted time, there is no problem," he toldTVOOST.

"If the birth is a little earlier, I have a small problem. But I can still go home. I only need to be there for the team time trial (stage 9, July 12). Then I have 14 days until the birth is scheduled. So I take a small risk, but hopefully the baby won't arrive too soon.

"This year the Tour de France passes through Belgium with the stage to Huy And I see a number of opportunities in the first week. I am satisfied that I can start."