Philippe Gilbert won the opening stage of the Tour of Belgium today, even though the race was not his objective. He was treating it as a return race from his break after the classics, possibly en route to a good result in the Belgian Nationals. He also explained why a win in the Tour of Belgium can be more difficult than in some of the other races.
Sometimes things work out differently as planned. "I felt well in training," he told Belgian paper La Dernière Heure. "But it was also a bit of the unknown, after my short rest period." The weather decided the outcome of the race, in typical Gilbert fashion. "With the rain, it was a bit dangerous. So I opted to attack, in order to avoid the crashes in the peloton," Gilbert said.
This was a perfect opportunity, as he found some collaborators. "A good group developed. We went all out for 30km." He then tried his trademark move. "In the final I tried to go solo, but I didn't succeed to avoid the sprint [of five riders -ed.]"
Before the race, Gilbert did not think about winning. "I didn't make the Tour of Belgium my objective," Gilbert said. "It is my return to racing, so I don't know where I stand." At the end of the day he knew, standing atop the podium. He still would not acknowledge that he is racing for the overall.
"Thursday and Friday, there will be stages with a lot of wind, before the time trial on Saturday in Herzele and a very hilly stage after that. The Tour is still long and far from being over."
Sunday's stage was the only one he had shown some pre-race interest. "It is true that Sunday is a beautiful stage. It is always special to race at home," Gilbert said to the same paper. But he also had the nine climbs in mind, which include La Redoute.
Mostly his objective is different, though. "After my break, I was riding a bit slower, before going to work in training. I think my form is not bad, but I only came for preparation here." He has the Tour de Suisse in mind next, but is also thinking about the Belgian Nationals in Leuven.
"The fact that I ride this as preparation doesn't mean I can't do a good result here," Gilbert said, almost apologetic. But he insists that his mind wasn't focus on his country's national Tour. "When I look for a result, I always do motorpacing sessions, which wasn't the case this time." Gilbert added that in a race like the Tour of Belgium, it is in a sense more difficult to win.
"I am a ProTour racer, with races of more importance that suit me better, because they are better organized for the peloton. In these conditions, it is sometimes more difficult to win in a race like the Tour of Belgium.