Three-times Amstel Gold Race winner Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) paid a high price for his injured hand on Sunday, with the knock-on effects of the fractured finger effectively knocking the rider out of the battle for victory.
Gilbert had insisted that rather than a top favourite for victory on Sunday, his injury made him an outsider in the race. But whether he wanted that status or not, the Belgian’s track record in Amstel Gold Race nonetheless ensured Gilbert remained a key reference point for all of the contenders and his unexpected absence from the running made for a very different Amstel indeed.
Some 35 kilometres from the finish, Gilbert suddenly appeared on television images in a group that had been dropped by the main bunch, together with Matt Hayman (Orica-GreenEdge) and Edvald Boasson Hagen (Dimension Data). But whilst the Australian and Norwegian managed to return to the main peloton, Gilbert did not.
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As Gilbert explained afterwards, his injury made it impossible for him to perform at his best. In a domino-like series of consequences, Gilbert’s finger injury forced him to change his position on the bike, which then affected his back, which then, in turn, made it impossible for him to pedal at full power. The Belgian star finally finished 81st, his worst ever result in the Dutch one-day Classic in over ten years of participations.
Visibly weary but willing to talk to the press outside the BMC bus at the finish, Gilbert commented that, “having to change my position on the bike really blocked everything for me. After about four hours racing, it all started to get bad.”
As for his chances across the border in the Belgian Ardennes Classics later this week, Gilbert argued, “it will be complicated, but we’ll see. My legs felt good, but when you can’t actually get any power out, that makes it much harder.”
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