Normally, this weekend would have been Ghent-Wevelgem, but the Covid 19 coronavirus pandemic has put professional cycling on the back burner, so athletes and teams must continue to persevere.

"It won't be easy, but I think the Classic will take place.

Gilbert, along with his new team, Lotto Soudal, was looking to win the Monument with a victory in Milan-San Remo. However, the Belgian and his new teammates were forced to take a pay cut last week as the team faced financial difficulties due to a pandemic.

Cycling News spoke with Gilbert shortly before the pay cut was officially announced, and the Belgian rider admitted that he and his riders were already suffering due to the lack of racing.

"It's hard for the riders. We obviously had momentum and we worked hard. We were physically ready and after Paris-Nice we trained the best we could. We were ready for Milan-San Remo and the other races."

With the Classics now postponed until at least the second half of the year and the Tour de France's July plans in disarray, Gilbert is pinning his hopes on a competitive second half of the season.

"It will be different, but it will be beautiful. I don't know when we will be able to race. Of course, as soon as possible. The world is crazy right now and it's hard to predict anything."

"When we restart it could be really intense. There could be monuments every weekend, but I've been racing from Harelbeke to Liège for the last few years, so I'm used to that, to be honest. Hopefully when the race resumes we can get back to normal."