He may have worn the stripes of the world champion during the 2013 season, but those who witnessed him on his bike could have little doubt: Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing Team) wasn’t riding well, and clearly he was consistently falling short of his peak performances during the 2011 season.

Gilbert claimed a stage at the Vuelta a España and that was it as far as victories go. He finished second twice, and in the top 10 at both the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

While those results would suffice for the majority of the peloton, Gilbert’s 2013 results pale when compared to 2011 when the Belgian swept the Ardennes week. Ever since, expectations have been ruthlessly soaring for the Belgian who, incidentally, is the first to place such lofty demands upon his own shoulders.

“Even if I was world champion in 2012, I was not on my best level … especially last year. After two years like this, it’s hard. You think, ‘am I too old already?’” Gilbert said Tuesday at BMC Racing’s media day in Calpe, Spain according to Velonews.com. “I will stop cycling if it’s to do a top five only. I have more motivation than this,” he said. “When I’m not able to win anymore, I will stop.”

“The last season was not good. I was also disappointed in my season, my performance,” he told reporters at a media session also made public on the team’s website. “I just wanted to forget this and go for a new, successful season. I had a good winter. I feel good. I feel very motivated to start a new season. I worked hard and I was really focused on what I did. I didn’t lose time on superficial things, like ceremonies and everything,” Gilbert explained. “I really focused on the most important thing, which is training and rest. And this will pay, I think.”

In a sense Gilbert is caught in an unenviable and impossible situation. No matter how well he performs in the coming season, his achievements will unmercifully be compared to his avalanche of victories in 2011. That year witnessed Gilbert displaying an almost Eddy Merckx-like, insatiable hunger for wins as he swept the Ardennes races, took the opening stage of the Tour de France, saw off his rivals in Clásica San Sebastián and the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, and confidently walking away with the UCI WorldTour title. Such a string of successes is nearly impossible to reproduce unless your birth certificate states that your name is Eddy Merckx.

A return to the peak of his powers will be essential for Gilbert as he attempts to brush off the relentless competition from riders such as Peter Sagan (Cannondale) and Daniel Martin (Garmin-Sharp) who will be looking to take the lion’s share of the spring Classics. In addition, Gilbert might face intra-team rivalry as a consistent Greg Van Avermaet has been steadily improving in the one-day races during the past two seasons. Gilbert’s fellow countryman will be doing his utmost to oust Gilbert as Belgium’s leading Classics specialist.

No Tour de France this year

For starters Gilbert will be aiming for the Milano-San Remo, which includes a new climb near the finish. “For me it’s San Remo. The final changed a lot, and I like it. And the Ardennes, of course. And then we see. Because it’s so far away,” he said. Gilbert also said he hopes to watch the Tour de France not from the race itself but on television. Asked if he was on the BMC long list, his response was unmistakable. “I hope not,” he said “I can watch on TV also.”

The rainbow jersey is an entirely different matter, though. The punchy worlds course in Ponferrada, Spain, is still some eight months away but Gilbert already has this race in his sights.

“I think it’s always good for me when the sprinters and the climbers can say we have a chance,” he said. “Because then the level is higher, and it’s easier when you’re strong. Because it’s more people working, more people in final. And when it’s only three guys, you can say, ‘I just have to look at these three guys. But when it’s the all sprinters and the climbers, it can come from anywhere, at any moment.”

That, in essence, sums up Gilbert at the zenith of his abilities. Whether 2014 sees him make a convincing return to his winning ways or pushes him into retirement, remains to be seen.