After an incredible one-day season, Belgian champion claims he won’t be the favourite on the flat Copenhagen course
Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert has so far been the outstanding one-day rider of 2011, with the Belgian champion having a commanding lead in the International Cycling Union (UCI) WorldTour. Ordinarily, this would make the 29-year-old the hot favourite for Sunday’s World championships road race but, with the flat parcours expected to lead to a bunch sprint, he insists it isn’t so.
Gilbert’s victories this season have included an incredible Ardennes Classics treble of Amstel Gold, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liege, the Tour of Belgium, the Belgian road and time trial championships, a stage of the Tour de France, the Clásica San Sebastian, the GP de Québec and, most recently, the GP de Wallonie.
The rainbow jersey – to replace his driekleur one – would be the icing on the cake, but it’s something that he says he doesn’t feel any pressure to take.
“I don’t feel that I need to put any extra shine on my season with the World championships,” the Omega Pharma-Lotto rider told Sporza. “Everything I add now is pure bonus, this is a position of luxury and it gives me freedom. I’ll start with no pressure on my shoulders, because on this course I’m not the top favourite.”
Gilbert started the 2010 Worlds race in Geelong with the tag of favourite, and his final lap attack was almost good enough to stay away, but he was caught by a large peloton near the finish and Norway’s Thor Hushovd won the day. This time around, with far fewer hills on the course, the Belgian will be limited in his opportunities; although he has prepared for the race in the usual way and should never be discounted.
“I’ve done my traditional long training ride on the Wednesday before the Worlds,” he explained. “Six intensive hours in the inhospitable hinterland of Monaco; I couldn’t dream of a getter backdrop.”
While Gilbert’s preparation for the World championships has gone to the usual plan, with the course not to his liking he is eying up targets later in the year.
“I must admit that all this is for the Giro di Lombardia,” he conceded. “I’m still going there for the victory, which I owe to myself; I’ll be starting as defending champion.”
Gilbert has won the last two editions of the Giro di Lombardia, and will undoubtedly start the race on October 15th as the outstanding favourite on the new course into Lecco.
Whether he will be wearing the driekleur of Belgian champion, or the rainbow of World champion, remains to be seen.