This Man, Philippe Gilbert, with the boyish smile and the rutted face that accents his charm, is a Hero favorite. Where Fabian stumbled this spring with expectation and the lack of team support, Philippe did the opposite with patience and guile. In 2011 he eclipsed all at the Montepaschi Strade Bianche, Flèche Brabançonne, Amstel Gold, Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
He has not raced the Tour de France since 2008. We will look for him on stage 4 during the two kilometer climb to the top of the Mûr-de-Bretagne. The general classification will be fighting it out to not lose time, but for Philippe there will be no question of time saved or lost, but his best chance for a stage victory. Do not be surprised to see a second stage come with opportunity. The Tenspeed Hero request for bar-time conversation is to see Philippe test himself against Andy, Frank and Alberto on Luz-Ardiden.