One day after 2010 Tour de France winner Andy Schleck was said to be competing in the 2013 Santos Tour Down Under, another major name in world cycling has been linked to the event. According to Het Nieuwsblad, world road race champion Philippe Gilbert will also take part in the WorldTour event, thus getting an early start to his season in the rainbow jersey.
Gilbert had a somewhat quiet 2012 season, being below par for much of the year and missing out on his hoped-for victories in the spring Classics. The BMC Racing Team rider only won three races in all; two stages in the Vuelta a España and the world title.
He’s determined that things will be very different next season and by starting in the Santos Tour Down Under on January 20th, will ensure that he has plenty of racing in his legs prior to his first big objectives.
Milan-Sanremo is likely to be a big goal for the Belgian, particularly as it is a race that is on his stated career target list. His best finishes were in 2008 and 2011, when he was third on both occasions.
Gilbert won a stage in the 2004 Santos Tour Down Under, and four years later was King of the Mountains there.
The 2013 race begins in 67 days.