BMC Racing Team's Greg Van Avermaet finished runner-up to Zdenek Stybar (Etixx-Quick Step) Saturday at Strade Bianche after being part of a breakaway late in the 200-kilometer race.

Van Avermaet was first to attack on the steep incline in the final kilometer, which momentarily gapped breakaway companions Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team) and Stybar. But Stybar fought back and caught and passed Van Avermaet in the narrow, twisting streets leading to the finish in Piazza del Campo square.

The result was Van Avermaet's best of the season, adding to third-place finishes in stages at the Tours of Qatar and Oman.
 

"I was always in a pretty good position and I had the legs to be there in the final. I got second but I’m pretty happy with my race," he said. "I knew it’d be hard to attack Valverde on a climb like that but I tried to give it a go and surprised him with a good effort. I was surprised that I was first to the top but then I saw Stybar on my wheel, and then he passed me. I was just not strong enough to pass him back.

"For me it’s one of the nicest races of the year. That’s why I prefer to miss Paris-Nice and ride this race.

"This year it was pretty hard with the side winds and even pretty dangerous in some parts because we didn’t have the grip on the front wheel and so could slip out. But the dirt roads are really good, and the landscapes are amazing. The best riders are always at the front too, so it’s a nice race, a nice Classic."