Philippe Gilbert has been given the all clear to compete at Paris-Nice this Sunday following his crash at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Gilbert lined up at GP Le Samyn yesterday however withdrew due to the extreme conditions and lingering back pain resulting from his crash at the one-day race.

BMC Racing Team Chief Medical Officer, Dr Max Testa gave the following update on Gilbert’s condition.

“Philippe has undergone a medical examination to assess the nature of his back pain which resulted from his serious crash at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. X-Rays have ruled out any fractures, but confirmed soft tissue contusions of the deep spinal muscles,” Dr Testa explained.

“Philippe will be fit to race at Paris-Nice this Sunday as scheduled and we do not believe that this injury will impact his Classics campaign. Of course we will continue to monitor his condition in the coming days and as the race gets underway.”

Gilbert is looking forward to lining up this weekend.

“I have some pain but I’m really motivated to race at Paris-Nice. Obviously for me the goal has never been to win but rather to put in a solid block of racing in the lead up to Milan-San Remo and the other Classics. I’ll take it day by day but we are not worried,” Gilbert said.