"Cycling should always be fun, even if you're a pro," Greg Van Avermaert said Friday night as he boarded the train to Brussels airport. It was a thought that would sustain him on the late flight south to Venice before the first UCI Gravel World Championships this weekend.

Van Avermaet finished his road season with a fourth-place finish in Bince-Cimay-Binche on Tuesday, but opted to continue his campaign for a few more days to take on the gravel in Veneto on Sunday. The idea was tentatively proposed last winter by his bike sponsor BMC, but was all but hypothetical until AG2R Citroën officially approved it in the middle of last month.

"BMC asked me last winter if I would be interested in starting a gravel world championship or riding their new bike.

Because of the late confirmation, Van Avermaat's opportunity to familiarize himself with his new bike was limited. Instead of picking up his bike at his home in Belgium this week, Van Avermaert will install new tires on his old cyclocross bike and will test the new setup for the first time on Saturday.

"It was impossible to build the bike before this week, and it didn't make sense to bring it to Belgium, ride it for two hours, and then pack it again for the flight. Instead, I ordered new tires and did a little practice on my old cyclocross bike. But it's still new to me."

And also, newness forms a significant part of the appeal of this first gravel World Championships: at 190 km, this elite men's race is on the shorter side of gravel events, where endurance and recovery are valued above all else. At least part of the surface between Vicenza and Cittadella is more akin to the chalk roads of Strade Bianche than the rocky tracks of the gravel scene.

And of course, the presence of many World Tour stars, such as Mathieu van der Pol, Peter Sagan, and Zdenek Stybar, adds to the atmosphere, which is quite different from other events.

"Having big names participate helps to make the sport even bigger.

"The route is flatter than Strade Bianche, but it's more technical, with smaller roads and farm roads. But road riders will be good at it because it's longer and not so technical, and gravel specialists will be there, so it should be a good mix. Even though I'll be riding with a team, I don't have teammates to protect me. It's a new adventure and I don't know what to expect.

But for all the uncertainty surrounding this new event and its myriad combinations, a consensus has formed around the pre-race favorites. Mathieu van der Pol competed in the Road World Championships in Australia and was convicted of assault.

"With the skills and legs he has, I think he's a contender for the championship. I can't say anything else," Van Avermaet said. 'He has the best technique and the best strength. When all these criteria are met, Mathieu's name comes down to one. "

Van Avermaert has reason to be wary of his own optimism, even if the victory extends to three years. The Belgian's season seemed to have collapsed when he disappeared from the Tour de France for the first time in almost a decade, but he has been steadily producing results in the weeks and months since, albeit off-Broadway in the Tour de Wallonie and Tour de Limousin. He made the podium at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, but has failed to shine since then.

"We are close to winning again. This is really important. In Spain in July, I put in a lot of effort to reach my best level again. If it had not worked out, I would have lost the will to continue for another year. This showed me that I can still get better and that I can still have a really good race in the Classics next year."

Van Avermaat's contract with AG2R Citroën runs through the end of 2023, and while the question of whether the 37-year-old will extend his career beyond next season may be tactless, he has accepted it with grace. In fact, it is a question he asks himself.

"No, it's an honest question, and it's one that's on my mind. If I didn't think about it, it wouldn't be human," he said. I'll see how the beginning of the Classic goes, and then I'll think about it. Right now I want to take it one year at a time. That's what really matters."

When Van Avermaert puts on his number in Vicenza on Sunday, he will meet a familiar face, having already moved from a WorldTour team for the autonomy that a full-time race on a gravel circuit gives.

The idea does not tempt him, at least not yet. Van Avermaert is now one of the longest-serving professional athletes in the peloton, but even as Van der Pol and others have shifted the lie of the land since his 2016 Olympic title and 2017 Paris-Roubaix victory, he has never faded into life on the World Tour carousel.

"I still love road cycling and I'm not sick of it. I still like to push myself. The new generation puts pressure on me, but it's pressure to do better, to prove that I can challenge them too." I look at it that way, rather than saying, 'I'm empty and I don't want to do this anymore. Besides, I love big races like Flanders and Roubaix. I love big races like Flanders and Roubaix. Of course, I don't have the same motivation for every race as I do for the big races, but I still have motivation."

Sunday's World Championships may not be as exciting as the Ronde, but it will be pretty exciting. It's also a lot of fun. Says Van Avermaert. The fun should always be there. If you don't enjoy doing your job, it's hard to keep going."