Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing) endured a frustrating Classics campaign in the rainbow jersey of world champion last year, finishing fifth in the Amstel Gold Race, 15th at La Fleche Wallonne and seventh at Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
Fast Phil kicked off his current campaign in the best possible style, however, winning at Brabantse Pijl – the transition race between the cobbled Classics and Ardennes races – after outsprinting Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEDGE).
Gilbert is a two-time former winner of the Amstel Gold Race and in 2011 he claimed victory to kick-start a clean sweep of all three Ardennes Classics. The new course is also very similar to that on which he won the 2012 World Championship.
Gilbert has enjoyed an encouraging start to the 2014 season after a frustrating campaign in the rainbow jersey and at Tirreno-Adriatico it was his attacking which contributed to a much-reduced leading group finishing stage three, though his own stage ambitions came undone as he tried to lead out a long sprint.
Gilbert was also active at Milan-San Remo and his Brabantse Pijl victory is evidence that he is starting to peak at just the right time.
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