Belgian champion likes winning too much to accept less
Despite a strong, aggressive showing in the Tour de France where he won a stage and wore each of the leader’s jerseys, Philippe Gilbert has said that he is unlikely to ever specifically target a Grand Tour. The Belgian rider was speaking at yesterday’s Omega Pharma Lotto press conference in Valance, and admitted that the attraction of winning races for him was stronger than the urge to land a high placing in a three week event.
“I am not somebody who can fight for second, third, fourth or fifth place. I can’t understand this,” he told VeloNation during the rest-day meeting with the media. “For me it is difficult…I cannot give everything for three weeks to get fifth place.
“For some riders, it is important because they cannot win the Classics. But for me, I can win the Classics, and I don’t think I can have something more [motivation] with top ten or top five in a big Tour. Winning a big Tour, yes, but top five, no. It is too much energy to do this for me.”
What Gilbert is essentially saying is that he is motivated by success; by that he means standing on the top step of a podium, not the lower rungs. He’s won thirteen races this season, including a Belgian championship which he said has brought him plenty of attention, and will continue to chase success in the remaining days of the Tour, and beyond.
Gilbert rode very aggressively in the first half of the race, but then lost seventeen minutes on the stage to Plateau de Beille. He dropped to 28th overall. He explained that his focus prior to the race was on hitting one quick peak rather than sustaining his form for the duration.
“For me, I was coming just to win a stage, not for the GC because I didn’t make a special preparation, or do altitude training or check the course…I did nothing,” he said. “I was coming here with the same preparation as the Classics. That is why I was so good on the first day. After, I was okay but never on the same level…”
Gilbert’s statement is a little modest, as he has remained one of the top animators of the race. He has attacked constantly and even if he says he hasn’t worked towards being good for a long time, he told the group of mainly Belgian journalists yesterday that he wasn’t feeling particularly fatigued at this point. That bodes well for his chances of shaking things up in the days ahead, and will also likely worry the large number of riders in the bunch who are feeling the pinch with six days to go.