Former world road race champion Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) hopes to return to form in the Classics this season.  Philippe Gilbert believes he's approaching the level that saw him conquer Classics almost at will in 2011.

In a press release earlier today, the BMC Racing Team confirmed that Gilbert will start in the Tours of Qatar and Oman and will return to Europe for two UCI 1.1 races in France (Sud Ardèche and the Drome Classic) before riding both Strade Bianche and Roma Maxima. However, he remained quiet on the rest of his race programme. "I am not at liberty to discuss if I'll do Tirreno Adriatico or Paris-Nice and the rest of the programme, because the team will announce it,” Gilbert told RTBF.

"I respect their wishes. Of course the Ardennes Classics are on my programme, and I start there with big ambitions. I can also say that Milan-San Remo will be a big goal this year. I have been in the final several times and was on the podium twice before [third in 2008 and 2011] and it's not on my palmarès yet. It's not a secret that I dream about this race."

With the inclusion of the Pompeiana climb on the Milan-San Remo route sprinters like André Greipel and former winner Mark Cavendish have said they won't ride La Primavera. Gilbert, however, welcomes the change.

"The race has evolved into a very difficult and demanding race. It will be the punchers and the climbers who'll arrive at San Remo, and not the sprinters.  I talked to [Chris] Froome and he will take the start at Milan-San Remo too. I don't ask myself the question if it's a shame that it evolved or add to the discussion whether you should keep the parcours and the history. I am selfish and I say that the race suits me well."

In 2011 Gilbert won a series of races, including the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Clasica San Sebastian, the Belgian championships and the Tour of Belgium among others, but since then he has struggled to reproduce the results of his impressive 2011 season with Lotto.

"I can't deny that not having a few riders with me in the final of a race, like for example after La Redoute in Liège is not favourable for me. In 2014 I will have riders by my side like Peter Velits. He's very experienced and capable of helping me. The same goes for Ben Hermans. I don't know him despite the fact he's Belgian, but I think he is also one of those riders that can help me in a Classic. The [BMC] team has under-evolved according to its potential so it's time to do that now."