It seems incredible given his dominance of last season but Philippe Gilbert is still hunting for his first win of 2012. He was close two days ago when he led in the main bunch just behind the trio of Peter Sagan (Liquigas Cannondale), Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack Nissan) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky Procycling); today hands him another chance as the finish in Boulogne-sur-Mer is another ramp which should reward one of the explosive riders.
The pressure is on, but earlier today the BMC Racing Team rider didn’t seem in the best of form. “I do not feel so good this morning," he stated before the start, according to Sporza. "I have a headache. I do not know what caused it."
Gilbert had several hours after that to recover and could well feel fine by the time the riders scrap it out in the finale. The profile of the stage is jagged, particularly towards the end, and that’s something which could work well for him if he has good legs.
"I was here in the Four Days of Dunkirk and I remember that it's difficult. In the last fifteen or sixteen kilometres, it’s constantly up and down. That’s better for us.”
He and defending Tour champion Cadel Evans should both be good on that sort of terrain. The Australian preferred to put the pressure on other riders in his online blog, though, perhaps hoping that their teams will take responsibility.
“On paper it looks like another Sagan day, but maybe on the shorter climb, Goss or Boasson Hagen will be able to challenge him.”
Directeur sportif John Lelangue will seek to guide both BMC Racing Team riders towards the best possible performance. He sees the stage finale as being significant. "It's like a small classic – a mix between Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Flèche Wallonne, with many ups and downs," he said.
"It's a stage where we will need to stay safe and I think we will see a beautiful show in the last hour of racing."