Belgian time trial championship spoiler

hommelbier

Seems like Philippe Gilbert kept something back at the end of the Eneco tour so as to do well in his national championships.

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/9410/Philippe-Gilbert-adds-Belgian-time-trial-championship-to-2011-haul.aspx

Le Commentateur

“This is really nice,” Gilbert told Sporza. “It’s my first time trial victory as a professional."


This is getting silly now. :roll:

emadden

Le Commentateur wrote:

“This is really nice,” Gilbert told Sporza. “It’s my first time trial victory as a professional."


This is getting silly now. :roll:

Agreed. I am a big Gilbert fan... but this isnt real. On the Eneco thread some people were of the opinion that I was a Doubting Thomas ... Their argument being that Gilbert wins because he is consistently gutsy and his attacks are generally at the end - usually after an armchair ride.... Seriously! Anyway, now we have Gilbert as a TT champ.... :shock: ... what next, Gilbert wins a TTT - on his own!

inkyfingers

I must admit to being one of those who is starting to smell a rat when it comes to Gilbert, but I really hope i'm wrong. On this occasion I think we need to take into account that this was hardly the strongest TT field, if he starts rocking up and beating the top TT specialists then it would be different.

FJS

National champs sometimes are much about the opposition. It's the national champs in a country not much known for its time triallists. Ben Hermans, 2nd, isn't exactly a world-leading TTer; Ghyselinck, 4th, is seen as a promising (well, in Belgium at least) TTer but is only 22 years old. Cornu (3rd) and Devolder (12th) were fast once but have been in downwards-spiralling form for years now. De Gendt (5th) and Montfort (10th) should have been favorites, but somehow didn't deliver, and weren't just beaten by Gilbert.

And Gilbert has always been a decent TTer - he was 2nd in the Belgian national champs in 2007 and 6th in 2008, both over longer distances tha this year.

LeicesterLad

I think if Pip was doping, he would have mixed it up abit, and not gone full gass in certain races. Nothing creates suspicion like constant winning! The fact that he keeps on bashing out the results with a smile, i think means he's probably clean, and enjoying himself. Alot.

Kléber

It wasn't a big field as FJS says. He's just come off a stage race. And didn't he get in the top-10 of Vuelta TT last year?

What's amazing is the continued racing. He has small breaks but seems to win big races throughout the season. He's not doing the Vuelta which will mark a change.

Longer term we'll see if he gets ambitious and starts thinking about bagging a stage race or two. Maybe not a grand tour but Romandie, Paris-Nice or the Dauphiné?

inkyfingers

Kléber wrote:

Longer term we'll see if he gets ambitious and starts thinking about bagging a stage race or two. Maybe not a grand tour but Romandie, Paris-Nice or the Dauphiné?

I think he has a very good chance of winning PN or Romandie, but think the long TT and the high mountains of the Dauphine would be too much for him.

rick_chasey

Kléber wrote:

It wasn't a big field as FJS says. He's just come off a stage race. And didn't he get in the top-10 of Vuelta TT last year?

What's amazing is the continued racing. He has small breaks but seems to win big races throughout the season. He's not doing the Vuelta which will mark a change.

Longer term we'll see if he gets ambitious and starts thinking about bagging a stage race or two. Maybe not a grand tour but Romandie, Paris-Nice or the Dauphiné?

Tirreno-Adriatico is about as far as he could go.

FJS

He has already won the Tour of Belgium and Elektrotour GCs, both with a (short) TT in them.

It would depend on the route, but a Tirreno, Romandie, Pais Vasco, or Paris-Nice would have to have a particularly easy mountain-light edition without a long TT.

avoidingmyphd

It looked like he was testing his abilities as a stage racer in the Pyrenees stages of the TDF to me. He hung around near the front longer than necessary on the stage to Luz Ardiden, for example, and came in ahead of Taaramae, Peraud, Hesjedal, Velits, Moncoutie and others.

I don't mean I think he'll win the TDF! I just mean that as well as winning a million races this year, he has also put some effort into checking out what else he might be able to do.

Ron Stuart

Le Commentateur wrote:

“This is really nice,” Gilbert told Sporza. “It’s my first time trial victory as a professional."


This is getting silly now. :roll:

I unfortunately bearing in mind the history of this sport I have a rather uncomfortable feeling also regards Gilbert. Mainly because of the duration of peak form during one season, it’s not consistent with normal physiological patterns.

Matt the Tester

emadden wrote:

Le Commentateur wrote:

“This is really nice,” Gilbert told Sporza. “It’s my first time trial victory as a professional."


This is getting silly now. :roll:

Agreed. I am a big Gilbert fan... but this isnt real. On the Eneco thread some people were of the opinion that I was a Doubting Thomas ... Their argument being that Gilbert wins because he is consistently gutsy and his attacks are generally at the end - usually after an armchair ride.... Seriously! Anyway, now we have Gilbert as a TT champ.... :shock: ... what next, Gilbert wins a TTT - on his own!

no that should be fabian on saturday :P

patchy

Fast Phil on moving to BMC:

Gilbert also explained that he'd be following a similar program in 2012 to this year.

"My objectives are clear: to go for the one-day classics and then go to the Tour to learn and help Cadel," he said. "Next year with the start in Liege, it's close to my home. So I will try to win a stage and then help Cadel win the Tour."

sounds like a man with designs on a GT to me...[/b]