Iljo Keisse will be missing from the Six Days of Ghent but Belgian supporters will have a major name to cheer on on the penultimate day of racing on Saturday November 26th. The world number one and cycling’s best Classics rider will line out on the boards there, his presence certain to add to the atmosphere.
Gilbert will compete in a pursuit race against his Omega Pharma Lotto team-mate Jurgen Roelandts, giving the track crowd an opportunity to see the power which earned him 18 victories this season.
The outing could well be his last in his current team’s colours, as the 29 year old is due to move to the BMC Racing Team at the end of year.
Gilbert had by far the best season of his career in 2011, clocking up 18 wins including the Ardennes Classic treble of Amstel Gold, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Clásica de San Sebastián, a stage in the Tour de France, the overall classification in the Ster ZLM Toer and the Tour of Belgium plus the overall UCI WorldTour ranking.
His presence will lessen the absence of Belgian favourite Iljo Keisse from the race. The three-time winner had hoped to take part but a recent court decision ruled that he could not compete on home soil until January 28th.