Philippe Gilbert is winning races again and the cycling world is a better place. Do two wins this week mean Philippe Gilbert is back?
Despite not being Dutch, the Amstel Gold Race is as close as you can get to Gilbert’s home ground. His name has become almost synonymous with the race’s iconic Cauberg climb over recent years, after winning two previous Amstel Golds and a World Championship by launching himself up it at frightening speed.
Everyone knows that Gilbert will attack on the Cauberg, but when he’s in form there’s nothing that can be done about it. It’s as if someone custom built the climb for Gilbert’s particular physical gifts.
Gilbert has had a couple of quiet seasons, winning just once in 2013 (a stage of the Vuelta a Espana) and twice in 2012. The fact that one of those victories was the World Championship counts for a lot, though.
But Gilbert’s last victory in the Amstel Gold Race came in 2011, his golden year, when he rampaged through the Ardennes like a Tyrannosaurus in a paddock full of prize-winning dairy cows. That year, in two brilliant weeks, Gilbert won Brabantse Pijl, Amstel Gold, La Flèche Wallonne and, the crowning achievement, Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He was invincible.
This year he’s already won two of those, Brabantse Pijl and Amstel Gold, and people are starting to talk about whether he can repeat his 2011 feats.
Gilbert was magnificent in Amstel Gold, timing his attack perfectly just as Simon Gerrans’ legs were filling with lactic acid. He powered over the brow of the Cauberg and there was no catching him. But repeating his 2011 feats would be an achievement for the record books.
First we have to see if he has the legs for the steeper Mur de Huy, which decides Flèche Wallonne.
It’s not his home ground. This is a race often won by climbers: Alejandro Valverde, Cadel Evans, and Joaquim Rodriguez are recent examples. Gilbert has won the race, but it’s more of a lottery.
Although he’s clearly in great nick, so are Michal Kwiatkowski, Carlos Betancur (despite a sulky performance on Sunday) and Alejandro Valverde. Pieter Weening and perhaps even Simon Clarke will be in the hunt for Orica-GreenEDGE after burying themselves for Gerrans at Amstel Gold.
If Joaquim Rodriguez recovers from the concussion he suffered in a crash on Sunday, he will be a huge danger. So too will be Vincenzo Nibali.
Flèche Wallonne is far from being Gilbert’s to lose. But I love seeing ‘Phil Gil’ win. (Does anyone call him ‘Philbert’, because why not?)
He has huge, swinging bags of panache. He will throw everything and then some into his attacks. He loves hard races and lactic acid. His pain face is outstanding.
He’s also a big-hearted rider. He has time for his many fans. He wore the rainbow jersey proudly and stoically despite the inane chatter about curses and bad luck.
He is extremely consistent: even in his ‘bad’ year in 2013, he had 22 top-ten finishes, many of them in the biggest races. Plenty of riders would murder their grandmothers for a season like that.
He shares leadership in a team full of superstars, and never seems to complain. He rides for his teammates as required. And he is undeniably one of the biggest stars in cycling. He draws crowds.
At 31, Gilbert is still in his prime. He has fought through two challenging seasons and they haven’t broken him. Even if he doesn’t repeat his miraculous deeds of three years ago, his Easter renaissance stands him in great stead for the rest of the season.
Can he repeat that perfect fortnight? I can’t wait to find out.
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