World champion yet to take a victory in rainbow jersey
World road race champion Philippe Gilbert has put an end to rumours that he might miss this year’s Tour de France, saying that he full intends being at the start of the race in Corsica. The event begins exactly one month from now and Gilbert, who is still searching for his first win of the year, will be regarded as one of the favourites for several of the lumpy stages.
“I do not understand why the team is waiting to communicate this,” Gilbert said in relation to his Tour de France participation, according to Het Nieuwsblad “I very much want to go. Officially, I don’t say it, but I think everyone understands that I will be there. And I will ride Switzerland [the Tour de Suisse – ed.] in preparation.”
Although he has not been as quiet as he was in the first part of last season, Gilbert has not been firing on all cylinders this year. His best results are second on a stage of Paris-Nice, second in Brabantse Pijl and third in the Tour of Belgium.
He is yet to take his first victory in the rainbow jersey of world champion, and will hope to break that duck in either the Tour de Suisse or the Tour itself.
Also hoping to get a ride in the Tour will be Greg van Avermaet. According to Het Nieuwsblad, he has said that he is on a shortlist of fifteen names.
The team has two GC contenders in Cadel Evans and Tejay van Garderen. The former finished third in the Giro d’Italia last weekend, while the latter won the Tour of California earlier this month.