Philippe Gilbert

The Belgian Philippe Gilbert struck a major blow by imposing Saturday in the Het Volk for the second time in his career. Striker solo 50 kilometres from the finish, the rider of the Francaise des Jeux in the classic opening Belgian has outpaced Nick Nuyens (Cofidis) and Thor Hushovd (Credit Agricole). The race was marked by the domination of the French teams and the sinking of the Quick Step Tom Boonen. Interviewed live by VRT 20 kilometres from the finish, sports director of La Francaise des Jeux, Marc Madiot, said: "I do not know if, as you say, this is an issue to the Merckx, but I can say that this is an issue to Gilbert. What it does is enormous. " In a race noted, aware that the difficulties of the trail were concentrated between the Kruisberg, 65 km from the finish, and one paved area 20 km from the line, Gilbert has behaved boss to blow in the pack. The Kruisberg was fatal to the world champion, Italian Paolo Bettini, who fell with his teammate Wilfried Cretskens. In Eickenberg, Gilbert asked his teammate Michael Delage accelerate in turn before making a violent attack, at the height of the slope. Nuyens tried unsuccessfully to hang him and left his compatriot filer only 49 km from the finish. At 25 years old, a protégé of Madiot signed the 16th success of his career, the third in 2008. "At first I thought it was crazy. I asked her to get up but the atria not operating. Much the better, he signed a feat," said Madiot