Gilbert wins GP Samyn
- By Andrew Hood
- Published Mar. 5, 2008
- Updated Mar. 5, 2008 at 1:07 PM UTC
Philippe Gilbert (Francaise des Jeux) is back on the top spot of the podium just days after blowing the doors off everyone in Het Volk.
The 25-year-old Belgian out-kicked the main pack to win the 39th GP Samyn in a sprint to snag his fifth win of the year.
Gilbert finally got it right in the Belgian race from Frameries to Dour after finishing second the past two years in a row. This time, he relegated Kevin Ista (Agritubel) to runner-up position with Aleksejs Saramontins (Rietumu Bank) coming through third.
The day’s main breakaway was reeled in about 15km from the finish before another flurry of late attacks splintered the peloton. Gilbert and Ista caught Saramontins just in time to battle for the spoils.
Gilbert — the popular attacker who lives in the French-speaking region of eastern Belgium — is on a roll. He already won two stages and the unofficial overall at the Mallorca Challenge before attacking a la Merckx in Saturday’s Het Volk.
Gilbert heads to Paris-Nice next week with his Francaise des Jeux team. Despite the threat of racing bans and fines from the UCI, the French team is bringing Gilbert in the hopes he can capitalize on his early season form with a stage victory.
FILED UNDER: Road
Andrew Hood
Hood cut his journalistic teeth at Colorado dailies before the web boom opened the door to European cycling in the mid-1990s. Hood's covered every Tour since 1996 and has been VeloNews' European correspondent since 2002. He lives in Leon, Spain, when he's not chasing bike races.