"I am looking to just keep improving"

Having missed yesterday’s Paris-Roubaix Classic, Philippe Gilbert will return to competition in the Brabantse Pijl race on Wednesday, one year after beginning a superb four-race run of victories there.



The BMC Racing Team rider triumphed in the race twelve months ago, then went on to win the Amstel Gold Race, Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.



This time round, the circumstances are very different as he has not yet reached anything like the same level that he showed for much of last season. He’s suffered a virus, crashed in Milan-Sanremo and has also had a tooth infection which he and the team doctor say is the reason why he has not been racing well of late.



According to directeur sportif John Lelangue, his form is improving. Lelangue states that he believes Gilbert and team-mate Greg Van Avermaet can be ambitious about Wednesday’s race and their chances there.



“We have two guys who can make really good results before attacking the three big WorldTour Classics in the Netherlands and Belgium," said the Belgian team official. "Philippe is also getting better after his problems the past couple of weeks.”



The two riders will be joined by Belgians Yannick Eijssen and Klaas Lodewyck, Briton Adam Blythe, Frenchman Amaël Moinard and Danilo Wyss of Switzerland.



They will play a supporting role and try to ensure that Gilbert or Van Avermaet will be in a position to go for the win towards the end of the 195.7 kilometre event.



Gilbert will wear number one as defending champion, but he appears not to be feeling the burden of expectation. "I am looking to just keep improving," he said. "Our team is riding well, which makes it a lot easier."



In the past two weekends the American WorldTour team clocked up two podium places in Classics thanks to Alessandro Ballan’s third-place finishes in the Ronde Van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix.



It has just two victories thus far this year, namely Cadel Evans’ stage win plus the general classification in the Critérium International.





BMC Racing Team for Brabantse Pijl (April 11):



Adam Blythe (GBR), Yannick Eijssen (BEL), Philippe Gilbert (BEL), Klaas Lodewyck (BEL), Amaël Moinard (FRA), Greg Van Avermaet (BEL), Danilo Wyss (SUI).