The last season couldn’t be regarded as the most successful one for the BMC, it was significant, however, how the American team bounced back in the second part of the season after experiencing a Tour the France to forget. Allan Peiper, appointed as a performance director and promoted to the role of sporting manager as the previous one, John Lelangue, was forced to leave when his riders failed to reach any of their objectives, was the man who breathed a new live into the red and black squad.

Philippe Gilbert, who also managed to finally break the duck and claim the first win of 2013 season during the last Vuelta a Espana after the change in American team’s management became reality, believes that Peiper was the only one responsible for breathing a new spirit into BMC riders in late summer and autumn. Belgian rider emphasized, that the experienced manager was able to tweak a whole philosophy of the team what quickly resulted with improved performances in the 2013 final months, and a spectacular start to a new season highlighted by early wins in Australia and Dubai is just a consequence of those significant changes in mindset.

"For everybody it's like a new team. It's a completely different mentality. We can feel it, we can see it in the results, even if it's only the first two or three races, we can see we are there with another approach to cycling and racing," Gilbert told reporters in Doha at the Tour of Qatar, his first race of the new season.

"Everybody has a goal now, everybody has motivation. We can feel that everybody is very motivated."

Gilbert confesses that Peiper had some influence also on his own approach to the coming season, suggesting him to focus only on the major goals instead of trying to replicate his incredible 2011 season marked by no less than 18 victories. Thus, the Belgian won’t chase successes in both cobbled and Ardenne Classics, foregoing the Tour of Flanders and concentrating exclusively on the races that suit him most.

"[The idea] came first from me, but [Peiper] was happy because he was thinking the same," Gilbert said. "I think this team already has a lot of riders for those races and it's not the case for the Ardennes, so I think it's better to focus on the races where you have the most chance of having results."

Even though Gilbert claims not to be obsessed about leaving his own mark that early in the season, he has shown some sparkling sense of humor by pointing out that it would significantly improve the variety of his post-race interviews.

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"If I don't have one win then I will always have this question after races: ‘When will you win? When will you win? So it's pretty much annoying to hear this every time," he smiled. "But it's up to me to win so I'm done with this question and you can ask me something else instead."

The classics specialist also confessed that it’s a relief not to sport the rainbow jersey any longer after being in the spotlight for two consecutive years: first overloaded with expectations after splendid performances in 2011, and the next one as the reigning World Champion.

"Rui Costa is a good example. He was not a contender for the final stage but the cameras were on him all the time and he was on TV a lot," Gilbert said.

"When you have the jersey, everybody says more about you."

That said, Gilbert still admits that after enjoying some time with the pressure being a little off, in the end he still would like to have another stint in the rainbow jersey and the route in Ponferrada, considered too easy by many, presents to him quite promising in that particular case.

Thus, the Belgian rider is expected to ride Vuelta a Espana again as his sole grand tour of the 2014 as a build up for the Words, as other of his main objectives remain more or less the same as always.

The changed route of the Milan – San Remo makes la Classicissima the first of his objectives for 2014, while he aims to reach his peak condition for the Ardennes Classics, three weeks later.

Asked if the luck has to come in play to make the repeat of his 2011 hat-trick possible, Gilbert once again has shown his wit by answering as every successful athlete should…

"Luck is just when you play on the Lotto or the EuroMillions," he said.

"I think when you work hard, then the level is there."