Tour of Flanders: Gilbert admits he's not as strong as last year

Philippe Gilbert's extraordinary Tour of Flanders victory last year came as little surprise in the context of the preceding fortnight, during which he had already made several resounding statements of intent. A defending champion can hardly fly in under the radar, but the Belgian's form this time around is certainly far less clear.

Patrick Fletcher

Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.