Philippe Gilbert appeared to be back to his best when he took a dominant win at last year's world championships but his year in the rainbow jersey hasn't lived up to his expectations. The Belgian admits that he has been frustrated by the lack of results and even has wondered whether it would be a good idea to defend his title.

Philippe Gilbert's time as world champion is about to come to an end and the year has not brought much pleasure. It all started on a bad note when he crashed out of Il Lombardia and since then, he has more been in the spotlight for his disappointments than for his outstanding results.

He finally took his win in the coveted jersey on stage 12 of the Vuelta a Espana but otherwise it has been a season of near-misses. The Belgian admits that it has been a tough year.

"I've never been superstitious, but after a while I started wondering whether that rainbow jersey wasn't curse," he told Gazet van Antwerpen. "Bad things haven't happened but the year has been a series of minor setbacks."

Gilbert's most recent setback came at the Eneco Tour when he crashed on the queen stage that was tailor-made to his characteristics. The incident put his Vuelta participation in doubt and left him depressed.

"After my heavy fall in the Eneco Tour, it was too much," he said. "Not that I wanted to stop, but that day it was as though I crossed a line. Why me? I really sacrificed everything for that race. At that time I was really depressed. "

"For the second year in a row I ride with the pressure of always having to win. If you win, it's easy to cope with that pressure. But if the victories don't come, the pressure is increasing. It's normal that it wears you down little by little."

Gilbert even got to the point where he started wondering whether he wanted to defend his title.

"With all the added stress I sometimes think that I shouldn't be world champion again," he said. "But it is also the most beautiful thing that can happen. It has crowned my career. This title gives public recognition."

With a win now in his pocket, Gilbert is now focused on his title defence. He abandoned the Vuelta on Sunday and will ride the GP de Wallonie next Wednesday as his last race in the rainbow jersey.

"It was very hard, but I am glad I have been world champion," he said. "I wanted more wins but I have no regrets. And don't get me wrong: I really want to be world champion again but the course in Florence is hard. We only have seven riders and won't have the strongest team but that may reduce the stress."

The world championships road race will take place on September 29.