Belgian rider Philippe Gilbert (Française des Jeux) is contemplating a possible participation in the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, this August. The Classics specialist, who has a special focus on the World Championships in Varese, was worried that too many competitions throughout the summer would make it unwise to attend the Olympic road race, too. But Belgian coach Carlo Bomans convinced him that a combination of Tour de France, Olympics, Vuelta a España and World Championships was possible.
"However, in order to do that, I would have to quit the Vuelta before the end," Gilbert said to La Dernière Heure des Sports. "I would have to participate some two weeks and then recuperate for the Worlds. But that wouldn't change a lot for me anyway. The final days of the Vuelta, there is always a mountain stage that I do in the gruppetto, a time trial that doesn't interest me and the final stage like the one to the Champs-Élysées, a long criterium."
