Greg Van Avermaet, who will start his season at the Tour of Qatar, is confident that 2016 will finally be the year that he wins a Monument, after coming so close in the past.

“I think this could be the year, I am aiming for a big classic, I am always up there and it is always one of my biggest goals,” he told Cycling Weekly. “We have a really strong team, a bit older, a bit better and the team know the courses well.”

“It is really hard every year and we now have a generation of sprinters who can also ride the classics, [but] I have to believe in myself. I think I can beat these guys in the end.”

For the Belgian, 2016 is a contract year. While he will listen to offers, he says BMC will have the first chance to offer him a contract as he is really happy at the team.

“I am really happy at BMC at the moment, BMC are in the leading position to offer a new contract and see if they want to build a team around me,” he added. “But I will see if someone offers me something interesting and then choose what will make my career as successful as possible.”