In an interview with L'Avenir, Philippe Gilbert has revealed that the recent terrorist attacks in Paris have made him fear for the security at races.

"I am obviously worried when we practice an open sport like cycling," he said. "We are never safe for a moment of madness from a spectator. I recently talked to Chris Froome about situations like this (a man managed to enter the closed circuit on the Champs Elysees during the Tour . de France). What would have happened if he had decided to blow himself up in the middle of the peloton?

"I am worried but do not think about the worst scenarios. We could strengthen security around events but it would be costly for the organizers. It could lead some of them to charge spectators. And in the current economic climate, it certainly would not be a good thing. I think it will spell the end of a lot of races."

Gilbert also talked about his life in Monaco where he lives close to Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome. 

"Monaco and its surroundings have the best training grounds," he said. "It has both mountains and sea.  So, we can decide to do tests on the climbs before finding flatter sections. As the weather is often nice, everything is there to do some good workouts. It's a paradise."