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Philippe Gilbert goes gloveless in subzero temperatures at Le Samyn

Belgium didn't let the frigid temperatures put a damper on his style or grip on his handlebars

The high today in Dour, Belgium where Le Samyn concluded was -1 C with the low on the day being -9 C. Racing went on with Niki Terpstra (Quick-Step Floors) taking a solo victory after 200 km in the frigid temperatures. His teammate Philippe Gilbert marked chaser Damien Gaudin (Direct Energie) and finished second after the Belgium superteam demolished the race in the crosswinds and on the cobbles. While Gilbert has bigger goals down the line, he was one of the only riders to race without gloves showing unrivalled hard man toughness.

While Classics riders often choose not to wear gloves to have a better feel for the road and better handle of their bike, when the temperature is below zero it’s rare to see riders going gloveless. On a very cold day in Belgium, Gilbert was one of the only riders to choose to ride without any protection from the cold on his hands.

Only 63 of the 147 starters would finish the race, in part because the race was blown apart by Quickstep and constant hard racing throughout the day. In photos from the day, Gilbert is seemingly the only rider choosing to go gloveless.

Even early on when Quickstep was blowing the race apart in the crosswinds, Gilbert was the only one of the lined-out seven-man Quick-Step team without gloves.

It was only when he climbed onto the podium alongside his victorious teammate that Gilbert did pull on a pair of warm gloves.