After he abandoned Paris-Nice on stage three, BMC’s team doctors will evaluate if Philippe Gilbert will ride Milan-Sanremo. Failure to participate would be a blow for the Belgian former World Champ, as he lives close to the race and loves the history.

“The doctors will see how he’s recovering, and that’s more of a medical decision than a sporting decision at this point,” BMC’s manager of sport Allan Peiper told VeloNews. “You could use Catalunya or País Vasco to be ready for the Ardennes, so that is not lost, but it’s an important decision for him and the team if he’s going to be ready for Sanremo.”

While Gilbert undoubtedly improves the squad, Pieper has Greg Van Avermaet as team leader and he, contrarily to Gilbert, is in red hot form.

“We still have a strong team and a leader with Greg, but having Phil there and having a two-pronged attack would be better,” Peiper said.