LIEGE (Belgium): Belgian veteran Philippe Gilbert will not defend his Paris-Roubaix title later this month because of a persistent knee injury, his team Lotto-Soudal announced Thursday.
The 2012 world champion, now 38, is suffering from pain in his left knee “due to his fall in the first stage of the Tour de France“, the team said, ruling him out of the Tour of Flanders as well as Paris-Roubaix.
“Maybe I started again too soon, but the rehab was going well, the motivation and morale were still there, and I really wanted to race,” Gilbert said.
“But I still felt pain… I then realised that I couldn’t be at my best at the Tour of Flanders and at Paris-Roubaix. These races are even more demanding on the body, the body must be 200 percent ready.”
Gilbert did not rule out the possibity of racing again in 2020 but is focussing on next season.
“My first priority is to heal completely,” he said.
“I still have a lot of goals in cycling, for next season certainly, but very maybe for this season as well.
“Hopefully a Tour of Spain participation is still playable, but that’s not yet relevant. What matters now is a full recovery.”