After 11,790km of racing, Philippe Gilbert has been crowned IG Markets Pro Cycling Index Rider of 2011 after a dominant season that saw the Belgian claim 18 victories.
- Philippe Gilbert beat the Schleck brothers to the Liege-Bastogne-Liege title
The index was created this year to provide an alternative ranking system to the UCI’s, rewarding riders for winning the most prestigious races in the most competitive fields.
And Gilbert’s Ardennes Classics hat-trick – Amstel Gold, Fleche Wallone and Liege-Bastogne-Liege – in April set the tone for a remarkable season, with the 29-year-old’s wins also including the opening stage of the Tour de France and overall victory in the Tour of Belgium and Ster ZLM Toer.
- Gilbert finished the season on 7120 points
Gilbert topped the IG Markets Pro Cycling Index on 7120 points, with Giro d’Italia champion Alberto Contador a distant second on 4,292 and Tour de France champion Cadel Evans third on 4,134.
Gilbert’s largest single points haul was at Liege-Bastogne-Liege (615 points), where he improved on his third place from 2010 and earned a bonus for completing the Ardennes triple.
“Liege-Bastogne-Liege was my greatest win this year, because I’m from there. I was always dreaming about this race and finally won it so it was very nice,” said Gilbert at the 2012 Tour de France presentation.
Gilbert joins BMC Racing Team from Omega Pharma-Lotto ahead of the 2012 season, where he’ll race alongside Evans, 2010 world champion Thor Hushovd and compatriot Greg Van Avermaet – all in the Pro Cycling Index top 25 and with a combined points total greater than all fifteen of Rabobank’s riders in the top 200.
And La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Ciro Scognamiglio, part of the IG Markets expert panel that ranks more 100 races worldwide based on their prestige and importance to cycling fans, believes BMC will provide the firepower for Gilbert to win the Classics that have so far eluded him.
“Philippe Gilbert has been the rider of the season, no doubt about that,” said Scognamiglio. “With the exception of the worlds, where the circuit wasn’t suited to him, he won almost everything he entered. In 2012, with the powerful BMC Racing Team, he can achieve the Classics that have eluded him so far: Milan-San Remo and Flanders.”
IG Markets head of sponsorship Olly Stevens said: “We have an exciting host of new features and rankings planned for the IG Markets Pro Cycling Index in 2012 – next season promises to be a great one with all of the top riders having points to defend in the opening races. With the help of our expert panel, we will be undertaking a full review of all the races in the Index with some being promoted or relegated for 2012.”
