Philippe Gilbert (born 5 July 1982) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who is known for being a versatile rider who was able to win four of the five very different profile cycling monuments and also the World Road Race Championships in 2012, and for being one of two riders, along with Davide Rebellin, to have won the three Ardennes classics– the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège– in a single season, which he accomplished in 2011. Gilbert also finished the 2011 season as the overall winner of the UCI World Tour.

A Classics specialist, Gilbert has won several classic cycle races, including Paris–Tours twice (2008, 2009), the Giro di Lombardia twice (2009, 2010), the Amstel Gold Race four times (2010, 2011, 2014, 2017), La Flèche Wallonne (2011), Liège–Bastogne–Liège (2011), the Clásica de San Sebastián (2011), the Tour of Flanders (2017), and Paris–Roubaix (2019). He is the second person (and first Belgian) in history to win all three Ardennes classics in a single year. In 2017, Gilbert became the third rider after Eddy Merckx (1975) and Jan Raas (1979) to win both the Tour of Flanders and the Amstel Gold Race in the same year.

He has also won stages at each of the three cycling Grand Tours: three stages at the Giro d'Italia (one in 2009 and two in 2015), one stage at the Tour de France (in 2011), and seven stages at the Vuelta a España (two in both 2010 and 2012, one in 2013 and two in 2019).

Gilbert retired as a professional, after the 2022 Paris–Tours. He celebrated his retirement in Valkenburg aan de Geul where he became world champion and won four Amstel Gold Races. He was honoured with a mural in the caves of the Cauberg.

Personal life

Gilbert currently resides in Monaco. With his ex-wife Patricia Zevaert he has two sons, born 2010 and 2013.

Gilbert's younger brother Jérôme has also been a racing cyclist.

Gilbert committed to serve world peace through sport by joining Peace and Sport.

During the 2021 UCI Road World Championships in Flanders, he was elected to a four-year term as a representative for road cycling on the Union Cycliste Internationale Athletes' Commission, winning 66 per cent of the vote.

Career

FDJeux.com (2003–08)

First three seasons

Born in Remouchamps in the municipality of Aywaille, Gilbert turned professional in 2003 by joining after riding as stagiaire for the team in late 2000. During this season he recorded his first victory by winning a stage in the Tour de l'Avenir. In 2004 he began by winning a stage in the Tour Down Under as well as the young rider classification. He participated in the Cycling at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's individual road race at the 2004 Summer Olympics where he finished 49th. He also won the Paris–Corrèze. In 2005 he won several races in France, which allowed him to win the Coupe de France de cyclisme sur route. These victories included the Trophée des Grimpeurs, the Tour du Haut Var and the Polynormande. He also took stages in the Four Days of Dunkirk and the Tour Méditerranéen.

2006 season

2006 would become his most successful year to the point when he won the prestigious Omloop Het Volk after repeatedly attacking until he got away alone with to go. During the season he also won the Grand Prix de Fourmies and the Grand Prix de Wallonie as well as stages at the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and the Eneco Tour.

2007 season

In early 2007 he had a skin cancer lesion removed from his thigh, delaying the start of his season. That did not stop him from trying himself during Milan–San Remo, where he managed to escape on the Poggio with Riccardo Riccò before being captured from the finishing line. He could not get any victory during the season until the Tour du Limousin, where he claimed his only victory in 2007 by winning a stage. In Paris–Tours he was caught with to go along with Karsten Kroon and Filippo Pozzato.

2008 season

Gilbert started 2008 by winning the King of the Mountains competition at the Tour Down Under and the overall classification as well as two stages of the Vuelta a Mallorca. He also finished third in Milan–San Remo, accomplishing his first podium in a monument. He later won Omloop Het Volk for the second time in his career after a solo attack with almost to go. Four days later he won the GP Samyn. He finished the year by winning the classic Paris–Tours race in a late breakaway where he won a sprint between his three breakaway companions. The peloton finished four seconds back.

Silence–Lotto (2009–11)

2009 season

In 2009 he joined to lead the Belgian team in the classics, finishing third at the Tour of Flanders and fourth in both the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He also took his first stage in a Grand Tour by winning the 20th stage of the Giro d'Italia and won a stage and the overall classification of the Ster Elektrotoer. Later in the season, he repeated his Paris–Tours win, attacking on the last climb with Tom Boonen and Borut Božič before outsprinting them to the line. A week later, he also won the prestigious Giro di Lombardia after escaping from the peloton with Samuel Sánchez, beating him to the finish by a half-length. It was his fourth victory in 10 days after also winning the Coppa Sabatini and Giro del Piemonte. At the end of the season, he was awarded the Flandrien of the Year award, recognising him as the best Belgian rider of the year.

2010 season

In 2010 he won his first classic of the year, April's Amstel Gold Race. After an aggressive race featuring many attacks, he won through a big attack in the last of the climb to the finish, comfortably winning by several bike lengths from the peloton. He also won the first stage of the Tour of Belgium. Gilbert then ended the 2010 season in superb form. He followed up two stage wins in the Vuelta a España with victories in the Giro del Piemonte and the Giro di Lombardia, repeating his 2009 wins in both races. The Giro di Lombardia was won with a solo attack in atrocious weather conditions.

2011 season

In 2011, Gilbert won the Montepaschi Strade Bianche, a race including of gravel roads. He then had a quadruple consecutive win: first, he won the Brabantse Pijl, then he repeated as winner of the Amstel Gold Race, breaking free on the Cauberg. Three days later, he won La Flèche Wallonne dropping his rivals on the final climb of the Mur de Huy and finally, he won Liège–Bastogne–Liège beating the Schleck brothers in the sprint. Gilbert thus became the second rider, after Davide Rebellin in 2004, to win the three Ardennes classics in a single year. During the first half of the season he also won stages at the Volta ao Algarve, Tirreno–Adriatico as well as the overall classification and a stage of both the Tour of Belgium and Ster ZLM Toer.

In late June, Gilbert won the Belgian National Road Race Championships. In July he won the opening stage of the Tour de France, winning by three seconds over Cadel Evans, allowing him to be the first person to put on the yellow jersey as overall leader. He lost that jersey in the team time trial the next day but still held the green and polka dot jerseys after stage two. A week after the end of the Tour, Gilbert won the Clásica de San Sebastián, and in mid-August, Gilbert won the 3rd stage at the Eneco Tour, taking his 15th victory of the year.

In September, Gilbert won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and took over the lead of the UCI world rankings with the 80 points awarded to the victor. He followed that performance two days later at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal by finishing third, despite stating that he felt "no pressure" after his Quebec City victory. With that placing, Gilbert deposited another 50 UCI points in his account. He would race in the October Italian classic, the Giro di Lombardia, taking eighth place after he was distanced on the final climb. He eventually closed the season well ahead in the UCI World Tour rankings, with 718 points to the 584 points of his closest competitor, Cadel Evans. He won 18 races in the season, more than any other cyclist in the professional peloton.

Gilbert was appointed as a member of the inaugural UCI Athletes' Commission in 2011.

BMC Racing Team (2012–16)

2012 season

In 2012, Gilbert signed for on a three-year contract reportedly worth €3 million a year. His goals for his new squad were to perform highly in the Spring classics and help his team-mate Cadel Evans repeat his 2011 feat of winning the Tour de France. Neither of those came to fruition, as Gilbert's best result in the one-day spring races was third at La Flèche Wallonne, where he got deposited on the final climb by Joaquim Rodríguez who won atop the historic Mur de Huy with a slim margin of 4 seconds. Three days prior, he took sixth position at the Amstel Gold Race and was pleased to achieve a top ten ranking in the Ardennes race. He missed out on his goal to bring Evans in yellow to Paris and his best placing in a Tour de France stage was fourth. He also lost both of the Belgian National Championship titles he held, finishing third in the Belgian National Time Trial Championships.

On 26 August 2012, Gilbert finally managed his first victory of the season by winning the ninth stage of the Vuelta a España after breaking away together with Rodríguez. He later won a second stage of the race, winning stage nineteen on 7 September.

On 23 September 2012, Gilbert won the UCI Elite Men's Road Race world championship and the rainbow jersey, ahead of Edvald Boasson Hagen and Alejandro Valverde by producing a massive surge on the final climb of the Cauberg.

2013 season

In 2013, Gilbert headed towards the World Championships without a single win in the rainbow jersey, in danger of his first winless season since turning professional in 2003. He started the Vuelta a España hoping that the competition would, for the second successive year, kick-start his season. After being narrowly defeated in a sprint by Zdeněk Štybar on stage 7, Gilbert finally clinched a victory in the rainbow stripes when he caught and passed Edvald Boasson Hagen to win stage 12.

2014 season

In 2014, Gilbert picked up his previous form when in the spring he won his second Brabantse Pijl and his third Amstel Gold Race.

2015 season

Gilbert finished third at Brabantse Pijl, seconds after his teammate Ben Hermans. At the Amstel Gold Race, Gilbert could not repeat his winning ways of 2014 and came in tenth after having attacked on the final climb of the day, the Cauberg. On the next Wednesday, Gilbert crashed out of La Flèche Wallonne. He then took part in Liège–Bastogne–Liège even though he was slightly injured and held on to the main group until the Côte de Saint-Nicolas, where he was dropped and finished 36th. He scored his first victory of the season at the Giro d'Italia, besting the lead group on a sharp incline at the end of Stage 12. He repeated on Stage 18, where he participated in the early break. After being dropped on the last climb of the day, he returned to the remnants of the breakaway after the descent and attacked them to win solo.

2016 season

Gilbert took his first victory of the season in February at the one-day race Vuelta a Murcia, winning the sprint of a four-man group. He won the Belgian National Road Race Championships in June.

Quick-Step Floors (2017–19)

2017 season

After 5 seasons with BMC, Gilbert joined for the 2017 season. Gilbert finished second in the Dwars door Vlaanderen behind teammate Yves Lampaert. The pair made the race-defining split along with Alexey Lutsenko from the team, and 's Luke Durbridge. Lampaert attacked with remaining and ultimately won the race by 39 seconds ahead of Gilbert, who led home Lutsenko and Durbridge in a sprint for second place. Later that week, in a three-up sprint finish of Belgian riders, Greg Van Avermaet () won E3 Harelbeke ahead of Gilbert and 's Oliver Naesen. The following week, Gilbert won the Three Days of De Panne after he attacked on the Muur van Geraardsbergen during the race's opening stage and soloed away to the victory by 17 seconds from his nearest competitor. He ultimately won the race by 38 seconds ahead of 's Matthias Brändle, and also won the sprints classification, primarily from his opening-day attack.

Three days later, he won the Tour of Flanders after a solo attack on the Oude Kwaremont and holding off the rest of the field over the remaining . Gilbert became the first rider in twenty years to win both the Tour of Flanders and Liège–Bastogne–Liège in his career. Two weeks after that he won the Amstel Gold Race for a fourth time and became the third rider to win the Tour of Flanders and the Amstel Gold Race in the same year, after Jan Raas and Eddy Merckx. It was later revealed that he won the race despite riding for the last of the race with a minor kidney tear. The injury required treatment in hospital after the race, and ruled him out of La Flèche Wallonne and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

2018 season

In Stage 16 of the Tour de France, Gilbert was involved in a crash in a downhill section where he went over a wall, suffering lacerations and fracturing his kneecap. This was the same road where Fabio Casartelli died in the 1995 Tour de France. Gilbert climbed back onto his bike and rode the remaining to the finish in Bagnères-de-Luchon, earning him the Most Combative Rider award but ending his tour.

2019 season

In April, Gilbert won Paris–Roubaix in a sprint ahead of Nils Politt, thereby raising his total number of monument titles to five. During the Vuelta a España, Gilbert won stage 12 to Bilbao, after dropping his breakaway companions to reach the finish alone. On stage 17 into Guadalajara, Gilbert was again victorious. In a stage marked by crosswinds, his team forced the pace and allowed him to win the sprint finish. The average speed of marked the fastest ever road stage over in a Grand Tour.

Lotto–Soudal

In August 2019, Gilbert signed a three-year contract with the team from the 2020 season onwards.

Career achievements

Major results

Source:

1. 2000

2. 10th Overall Giro della Lunigiana

3. 2002

4. 2nd Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships

5. 2nd Overall Tour du Loir-et-Cher

   1. 1st Stage 6

   4th Ronde van Vlaanderen U23

6. 5th Overall Le Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux

7. 6th Grand Prix de Waregem

8. 7th Tour du Finistère

9. 8th Circuit de Wallonie

10. 9th Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships

11. 9th La Côte Picarde

12. 2003

13. 2nd Tro-Bro Léon

14. 4th Overall Tour de l'Avenir

    1. 1st Points classification

    2. 1st Stage 9

    6th Overall Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen

15. 10th Trophée des Grimpeurs

16. 2004 (2 pro wins)

17. 1st Overall Paris–Corrèze

18. 2nd Trophée des Grimpeurs

19. 2nd Paris–Brussels

20. 2nd Grand Prix de Wallonie

21. 3rd Overall Ster Elektrotoer

22. 4th Overall Tour Down Under

    1. 1st Stage 3

    9th Overall Regio-Tour

23. 2005 (5)

24. 1st French Road Cycling Cup

25. 1st Trophée des Grimpeurs

26. 1st Tour du Haut Var

27. 1st Polynormande

28. 1st Stage 2 Tour Méditerranéen

29. 2nd Grand Prix de Wallonie

30. 6th Milan–San Remo

31. 8th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk

    1. 1st Stage 4

    8th Grand Prix d'Isbergues

32. 2006 (5)

33. 1st Omloop Het Volk

34. 1st Grand Prix de Wallonie

35. 1st Grand Prix de Fourmies

36. 1st Stage 2 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

37. 2nd Road race, National Road Championships

38. 2nd Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise

39. 2nd Trophée des Grimpeurs

40. 2nd Le Samyn

41. 2nd Grand Prix d'Isbergues

42. 4th Overall Eneco Tour

    1. 1st Stage 7

    9th Paris–Bourges

43. 2007 (1)

44. 1st Stage 1 Tour du Limousin

45. National Road Championships

    1. 2nd Time trial

    2. 3rd Road race

    2nd Le Samyn

46. 3rd Overall Circuit Franco-Belge

47. 5th Overall Volta ao Algarve

48. 7th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

49. 7th Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan

50. 8th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

51. 10th Boucles de l'Aulne

52. 2008 (5)

53. 1st Overall Vuelta a Mallorca

    1. 1st Trofeo Mallorca

    2. 1st Trofeo Sóller

    3. 3rd Trofeo Pollença

    4. 4th Trofeo Cala

    5. 4th Trofeo Calvià

    1st Paris–Tours

54. 1st Omloop Het Volk

55. 1st Le Samyn

56. 1st Mountains classification, Tour Down Under

57. 2nd Brabantse Pijl

58. 3rd Milan–San Remo

59. 4th Overall Circuit Franco-Belge

60. 5th Tour du Haut Var

61. 6th Paris–Bourges

62. 8th Overall Tour de Picardie

63. 2009 (7)

64. 1st Overall Ster Elektrotoer

    1. 1st Stage 4

    1st Giro di Lombardia

65. 1st Paris–Tours

66. 1st Gran Piemonte

67. 1st Coppa Sabatini

68. 1st Stage 20 Giro d'Italia

69. 2nd Road race, National Road Championships

70. 3rd Tour of Flanders

71. 4th Amstel Gold Race

72. 4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

73. 6th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

74. 7th Chrono des Nations

75. 9th UCI World Ranking

76. 9th Brabantse Pijl

77. 2010 (6)

78. 1st Giro di Lombardia

79. 1st Amstel Gold Race

80. 1st Gran Piemonte

81. Vuelta a España

    1. 1st Stages 3 & 19

    2. Held after Stages 3–7

    2nd UCI World Ranking

82. 2nd Road race, National Road Championships

83. 3rd Gent–Wevelgem

84. 3rd Tour of Flanders

85. 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège

86. 4th Overall Tour of Belgium

    1. 1st Stage 1

    5th Brabantse Pijl

87. 6th La Flèche Wallonne

88. 7th Overall Tour of Qatar

89. 9th Milan–San Remo

90. 9th Halle–Ingooigem

91. 2011 (18)

92. 1st UCI World Tour

93. National Road Championships

    1. 1st Road race

    2. 1st Time trial

    1st Overall Tour of Belgium

    1. 1st Stage 3

    1st Overall Ster ZLM Toer

    1. 1st Stage 4

    1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège

94. 1st Amstel Gold Race

95. 1st La Flèche Wallonne

96. 1st Clásica de San Sebastián

97. 1st Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec

98. 1st Montepaschi Strade Bianche

99. 1st Brabantse Pijl

100. 1st Grand Prix de Wallonie

101. Tour de France

     1. 1st Stage 1

     2. Held after Stage 1

     3. Held after Stages 1, 2, 5, 6 & 8–10

     4. Held after Stages 1–3

     1st Stage 1 Volta ao Algarve

102. 2nd Overall Eneco Tour

     1. 1st Stage 3

     3rd Milan–San Remo

103. 3rd Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal

104. 8th Giro di Lombardia

105. 9th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico

     1. 1st Stage 5

     9th Tour of Flanders

106. 2012 (3)

107. UCI Road World Championships

     1. 1st Road race

     2. 2nd Team time trial

     Vuelta a España

     1. 1st Stages 9 & 19

     3rd Time trial, National Road Championships

108. 3rd La Flèche Wallonne

109. 6th Amstel Gold Race

110. 7th Overall Tour of Belgium

111. 2013 (1)

112. 1st Stage 12 Vuelta a España

113. 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships

114. 2nd Brabantse Pijl

115. 3rd Overall Tour of Belgium

116. 5th Amstel Gold Race

117. 5th Grand Prix d'Isbergues

118. 7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

119. 9th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

120. 10th Grand Prix de Wallonie

121. 2014 (7)

122. 1st Overall Ster ZLM Toer

     1. 1st Prologue & Stage 3

     1st Overall Tour of Beijing

     1. 1st Stage 2

     1st Brabantse Pijl

123. 1st Amstel Gold Race

124. 1st Mountains classification, Tour de Picardie

125. 3rd Classic Sud-Ardèche

126. 4th Time trial, National Road Championships

127. 4th Overall Tour of Belgium

     1. 1st Points classification

     4th London–Surrey Classic

128. 6th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton

129. 7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

130. 7th Overall Eneco Tour

131. 7th Giro di Lombardia

132. 8th Roma Maxima

133. 8th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

134. 9th La Drôme Classic

135. 10th La Flèche Wallonne

136. 2015 (4)

137. 1st Grand Prix Pino Cerami

138. Giro d'Italia

     1. 1st Stages 12 & 18

     2nd Overall Tour du Haut Var

     1. 1st Points classification

     2nd Clásica de San Sebastián

139. 3rd Brabantse Pijl

140. 4th Overall Eneco Tour

141. 7th Overall Tour de Wallonie

     1. 1st Stage 3

     7th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec

142. 8th Overall Dubai Tour

143. 8th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

144. 9th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal

145. 10th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

146. 10th Amstel Gold Race

147. 2016 (4)

148. 1st Road race, National Road Championships

149. 1st Vuelta a Murcia

150. 2nd Overall Tour de Luxembourg

     1. 1st Points classification

     2. 1st Stages 2 & 4

     3rd Volta Limburg Classic

151. 6th Overall Dubai Tour

152. 6th Tre Valli Varesine

153. 6th Gran Piemonte

154. 8th Road race, UEC European Road Championships

155. 8th Overall Arctic Race of Norway

156. 2017 (5)

157. 1st Overall Three Days of De Panne

     1. 1st Sprints classification

     2. 1st Stage 1

     1st Tour of Flanders

158. 1st Amstel Gold Race

159. 1st Stage 2 Tour de Suisse

160. 1st Combination classification, Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

161. 2nd Dwars door Vlaanderen

162. 2nd E3 Harelbeke

163. 4th Overall Tour of Belgium

164. 9th Overall BinckBank Tour

165. Combativity award Stage 5 Tour de France

166. 2018 (1)

167. 1st Grand Prix d'Isbergues

168. 2nd Road race, National Road Championships

169. 2nd Le Samyn

170. 2nd E3 Harelbeke

171. 3rd Tour of Flanders

172. 3rd Vuelta a Murcia

173. 5th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

174. 8th Paris–Tours

175. Combativity award Stage 16 Tour de France

176. 2019 (4)

177. 1st Paris–Roubaix

178. Vuelta a España

     1. 1st Stages 12 & 17

     2. Combativity award Stage 12

     3rd Halle–Ingooigem

179. 4th Road race, National Road Championships

180. 8th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

181. 10th Overall Tour de la Provence

     1. 1st Stage 3

     2020

182. 8th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

183. 9th Milan–San Remo

184. 2021

185. 4th Brussels Cycling Classic

186. 5th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

187. 9th Druivenkoers Overijse

188. 2022 (2)

189. 1st Overall Four Days of Dunkirk

     1. 1st Stage 3

     6th Binche–Chimay–Binche

190. 8th Tour du Doubs

191. 10th Volta Limburg Classic

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Classics results

This table shows Gilbert's results in the great classics.

Major championships timeline

Awards and honours

• Crystal Bicycle: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

• Sprint d'Or: 2008

• Belgian Sportsman of the year: 2009, 2010, 2011

• Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 2009

• Crystal Bicycle: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011

• Flandrien Award: 2009, 2010, 2011

• AIJC trophy: 2009

• Walloon-Brussels Sports Merit Award: 2010, 2011, 2012

• Vélo d'Or Mondial: 2011

• Mendrisio d'Or: 2012

• Square Philippe Gilbert in Aywaille: 2013

• : an annual cycle race from 2013

• Honorary Citizen of Valkenburg: 2016

• Ruban Jaune: 2019

• CyclingRanking – Overall ranking (12th place)

Controversies

Gilbert was accused of abusing cortisone by an anonymous former Lotto teammate during his dominant period with , an allegation which the Belgian vehemently denies.

Notes

References

Further reading

External links