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Gilbert to ride Liège-Bastogne-Liège race

The Belgian cyclist Philippe Gilbert has announced that he will take part in Sunday’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège despite having sustained injuries during Wednesday’s Flèche Wallonne race. Speaking at a press conference on Friday afternoon, Philippe Gilbert said "I will be starting on Sunday, albeit not in top form as that would be impossible.”

The cyclist added that "I’m getting better by the hour and I still have a day and half to recover further."

Philippe Gilbert’s decision ends two days of intense speculation as to whether he would be racing on Sunday. Despite deciding to take part, Philippe Gilbert has doubts about whether he will play an important role in this season’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège race.
“I’ve been on my bike for three hours today. This is a big improvement as I wasn’t able to ride it at all yesterday.”

"However, there is a difference between cycling and racing. I haven’t done any climbs and have sprinted. I am still unable to apply enough force to the peddles. I still need a bit more time to recover. A week would have been better, but I’ve only got a day and a half”, Philippe Gilbert added.
 

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