As befits a rider who has won the event three times and claimed a world title on the same finale to boot, Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing) usually sets out as the default favourite for Amstel Gold Race, but he is unsure of his prospects this time out as he races for the first time since fracturing his finger following an altercation with a motorist during a training ride last week.
“You need to be realistic. I’m not the favourite for the race on Sunday,” Gilbert said at his pre-race press conference. “I’ll set out with the status of team leader but we’ll take stock during the race depending on the circumstances. I don’t have the usual point of reference for my form from Brabantse Pijl [on Wednesday, which Gilbert missed – ed.], and that’s always an interesting test.
“The first objective is to be there in the finale. Whether I can win, we’ll see how I am after the last ascent of the Gulpenberg.”
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Gilbert wore a bandage on his left hand during his press conference on Friday, and while the swelling has reduced over the course of the past week, he explained that he has had to make some alterations to how he brakes and changes gear.
“I’ve adapted my position on the bike a little bit to be more comfortable and I’ve had to change how I handle my bike in the last few days. I’m braking with three fingers now, but I have no choice,” Gilbert said. “I’m lucky that the state of the roads in Limburg is perfect, the tarmac is very smooth there. Though unfortunately, it won’t be the same at Flèche Wallonne or Liège-Bastogne-Liège…”
Gilbert has forged his three Amstel Gold Race wins – and his 2012 Worlds triumph – by powering clear on the final haul up the Cauberg. At both the 2012 Worlds and the 2014 edition of Amstel, Gilbert was glad of a tailwind to puff him along the 1.8-kilometre plateau between the summit and the finish line, but he admitted that he is hoping for different conditions this time around.
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