Greg Van Avermaet sprinted to a third-place finish Sunday for the BMC Racing Team at Gent-Wevelgem, matching his career-best finish in a spring cobblestone classic.

Van Avermaet was part of a group of about a dozen riders who broke away 60 km from the finish of the snow-shortened 183.4 km race that Peter Sagan (Cannondale) won solo with an attack inside the final four km. Van Avermaet, who also earned a podium finish in a cobblestoned race in 2008 when he was third at E3 Prijs Vlaanderen-Harelbeke, was out-sprinted by runner-up Borut Bozic (Astana Pro Team) 23 seconds after Sagan crossed the line.

"When Sagan went, I tried to follow him but it wasn't possible," Van Avermaet said. "I think Sagan is a bit stronger than the rest of us for the moment. But I don't think I did a bad sprint, it gives me confidence. My condition was already good in Milan-San Remo and E3. After today, it is nice for me and the team to see I'm good. I needed this result today for my head."