Three-time Monument winner Philippe Gilbert (BMC) enters the double engagement of E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem with a strong single-mindedness on next week's Tour of Flanders and is using Friday's E3 as a last tryout for the Monument next week.

"Tomorrow's race is maybe more important for me than Gent-Wevelgem because it's mostly on the same roads of Flanders. It's maybe the last test we can do. For me it will be important just to get in one last race of long distance," Gilbert said at BMC's pre-race press conference in Kortrijk as reported on the team’s website.

12 months ago, a distressed Gilbert spoke to the press under vastly different circumstances. Disease-prone, in desperate search of anything resembling decent form and seemingly headed for an awful season, Gilbert appeared out of sorts and it showed in his performances on the road. This year he enters the early Belgian cobblestone races with an entirely different mindset.  

"My form is much better," Gilbert said when asked to liken his present situation to that of last spring. “Last year I was just able to follow for 150 km in races and after that I was completely empty," he said. It wasn’t until the Vuelta that he regained his furrow, claiming a couple of stage wins before moving on to Holland to triumph in the Worlds.

"This year I hope to be in the finals of races. I don't know if I can go with the best but I hope to be there and then we'll see. I've never had a good feeling on these races. I think I was seventh in Harelbeke once and on the podium once in Gent. I don't know why but I've never been good."

When asked how far he is from his top form, the Belgian provides an unassertive reply, "It's hard to say. I'm not so bad but I'm not that good either."

You can follow the live action from both E3 Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem here on Cyclingquotes.com