World number one Philippe Gilbert has laid out what is likely to be his early season programme for 2012, saying that he will begin his time as a BMC Racing Team rider outside Europe.
“There are big question marks with Algarve and Majorca because of financial problems and the [Tour of the] Mediterranean is unclear,” he told Het Nieuwsblad at a fans’ celebration in Aywaille. “I would therefore like to ride Qatar, but I won’t do the combination with [the Tour of] Oman.
“I would still prefer to do a European race in preparation for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Such as Haut-Var, which is only an hour and a half drive from home [in Monaco].”
Gilbert began his superb 2011 season riding in Majorca, where he was 157th in the Trofeo Palma de Mallorca on February 6th. He continued to race there over the next four days, netting a best finish of 18th in the Trofeo Magalluf – Palmanova, then clocked up his first win of the year on stage one of the Volta ao Algarve on February 16th.
He used that race as preparation for the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and while he finished outside the top 40 there, he won the Montepaschi Strade Bianche one week later and continued on to pick up sixteen more wins before the end of the season.
Unsurprisingly, the dominance saw him finish the year well clear in the UCI WorldTour rankings. Next season will see a change to the American team, where he will compete alongside Thor Hushovd and Cadel Evans. Many are keen to see how the team will balance out the three big names, ensuring that there is no overlap in objectives and tactics.