Philippe Gilbert

Philippe Gilbert

Gilbert at the 2013 Tour of the Basque Country
Personal information
Full name	Philippe Gilbert
Nickname	Boar of the Ardennes[1]
Born	(1982-07-05) 5 July 1982 Verviers, Liège, Belgium[2]
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[3]
Weight	67 kg (148 lb; 10.6 st)[3]
Team information
Current team	BMC Racing Team
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Classics specialist / Puncheur
Professional team(s)
2003–2008 2009–2011 2012–	FDJeux.com Silence-Lotto BMC Racing Team
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 1 individual stage (2011) Giro d'Italia 1 individual stage (2009) Vuelta a España 5 individual stages (2010, 2012, 2013) Stage races Paris–Corrèze (2004) Ster ZLM Toer (2009, 2011) Tour of Belgium (2011) One-day races and Classics UCI Road World Championships (2012) National Road Race Championships (2011) National Time Trial Championships (2011) Amstel Gold Race (2010, 2011) Brabantse Pijl (2011) Clásica de San Sebastián (2011) Liège–Bastogne–Liège (2011) Giro del Piemonte (2009, 2010) Giro di Lombardia (2009, 2010) GP de Québec (2011) La Flèche Wallonne (2011) Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (2006, 2008) Paris–Tours (2008, 2009) Strade Bianche (2011) Other UCI World Tour (2011) Velo d'Or (2011)
Medal record Road bicycle racing Competitor for  Belgium World Championships Gold 2012 Valkenburg Road Race Competitor for BMC Racing Team World Championships Silver 2012 Valkenburg Team Time Trial
Infobox last updated on 1 January 2014

Philippe Gilbert (born 5 July 1982) is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team BMC Racing Team.^[4] Gilbert is best known for winning the World Road Race Championships in 2012,^[5] 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.^[6] Gilbert also finished the 2011 season as the overall winner of the UCI World Tour.^[7] Gilbert was accused of abusing Cortisone by an anonymous former Lotto teammate during this dominant period with Omega Pharma-Lotto, an allegation which the Belgian vehemently denies.^[8]

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 twice (2010, 2011), La Flèche Wallonne (2011), Liège–Bastogne–Liège (2011) and the Clásica de San Sebastián (2011). He has also won stages at each of the three cycling Grand Tours; he won a stage at the Giro d'Italia in 2009, a stage at the Tour de France in 2011, and five stages at the Vuelta a España, winning two in both 2010 and 2012, and one in 2013.

Personal life

Gilbert currently resides in Monaco-Ville,^[9] with his wife Patricia, and their sons Alan (b. 2010),^[10] and Alexandre (b. 2013).^[11]

Gilbert's younger brother Jerome is also a racing cyclist.^[12]

Career

Early years

Born in Remouchamps, Aywaille, Gilbert turned professional in 2003 by joining FDJeux.com after riding as stagiaire for the team in late 2000. During this season he recorded his first victory by winning a stage in 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 men's 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 Trophée des Grimpeurs, Tour du Haut-Var and the Polynormande. He also took stages in Four Days of Dunkirk and Tour Méditerranéen.

2006 season

2006 would become his most successful year thus far when he won the prestigious Omloop Het Volk after repeatedly attacking until he got away alone with 7 km to go.^[13] During the season he also won GP de Fourmies and GP de Wallonie as well as stages at Dauphiné Libére and ENECO Tour.

2007 season

In early 2007 he had a skin cancer lesion removed from his thigh.^[14] Because of this he had to delay 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 Ricco before being captured 1200 meters from the finishing line. He could not get any victory during the season until Tour de Limousin, where he claimed his only victory in 2007 by winning a stage. In Paris–Tours he was caught with 500 meters 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 the Milan – San Remo, accomplishing his first podium in a monument. He later won Het Volk for the second time in his career after a solo attack with almost 50 kilometers 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.

2009 season

In 2009 he joined Silence-Lotto to lead the Belgian team in the classics, finishing third at Tour of Flanders and fourth in both 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^[15] 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 consecutive victory in 10 days after also winning the Coppa Sabatini, Paris-Tours and Giro del Piemonte. At the end of the season he was awarded the Flandrien of the Year award, recognizing him as the best Belgian rider of the year.^[16]

2010 season

In 2010 he won his first classic of the year, Amstel Gold Race, in April. After an aggressive race featuring many attacks, he won through a big attack in the last 500 meters of the climb to the finish, comfortably winning by several bike lengths from the peloton.^[17] 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.^[18]

2011 season

In 2011, Gilbert won the Montepaschi Strade Bianche, a race including 70 kilometres of gravel roads. He then had a quadruple consecutive win: first he won the Brabantse Pijl, then he repeated as winner of 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.^[19] 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.

Gilbert at the 2011 Tour de France, wearing the Belgian national champion's jersey.

In late, June Gilbert won the national road race championships.^[20] In July he would take the opening 191.5 km 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.^[21] He lost that jersey in the team time trial the next day but still held the green jersey and the polka dot jersey 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 by raking in the 80 points allowed to the victor.^[22] He followed that performance two days later at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal by finishing on the third step of the podium, despite stating that he felt "no pressure" after his Quebec City victory. With that placing, Gilbert deposited another 50 UCI points in his account.^[23] He would race in the October Italian classic, the Giro di Lombardia, taking eight place after he was distanced on the final climb.^[24] He eventually closed the season well ahead in the UCI World Tour rankings, with 718 points as his closest competitor Cadel Evans had garnered 584 points.^[25] He won 18 races in the season, more than any other cyclist in the professional peloton.^[26]

2012 season

Gilbert sprinting to victory in the road race at the 2012 UCI Road World Championships

In 2012, Gilbert signed for BMC Racing Team on a three-year contract reportedly worth three million euros annually.^[4] 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.^[26] Neither of those came to fruition, as Gilbert's best result in the one-day spring races was third of La Flèche Wallonne, where he got deposited on the final climb by Joaquim Rodriguez who won atop the historic Mur de Huy with a slim margin of 4 seconds.^[27] 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.^[28] He missed out on his goal to bring Cadel Evans in yellow to Paris and his best placing in a Tour de France stage was fourth.^[26] He also lost both of the Belgian National Championship titles he held, the Road Race and the Individual Time Trial, finishing on the third step of the podium for the latter.^[29]

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 Joaquim Rodríguez.^[30] He later won a second stage of the race, winning stage nineteen on 7 September.^[31]

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.^[32]

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 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,^[33] Gilbert finally clinched a victory in the rainbow stripes when he caught and passed Edvald Boasson Hagen to win stage 12.^[34]

Palmarès

Grand Tour general classification results timeline:

Grand Tour	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Giro	32	-	WD	-	-	97	-	-	-	-
Tour	-	70	110	WD	112	-	-	38	46	62
Vuelta	-	-	-	69	WD	54	50	-	59	WD

WD = Withdrew; In Progress = IP

Classics results

This table shows Gilbert's results in the great classics and the UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race.

Awards and honors

• Belgian Sportsman of the year: 2009, 2010, 2011
• National Trophy for sporting merit: 2009
• Velo d'Or: 2011
• Crystal Bicycle: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
• Flandrien Award: 2009, 2010, 2011
• AIJC trophy: 2009

References

Further reading

• Gilbert, Philippe (2012). Philippe Gilbert: My Year in Top Gear. Translated by Martin Lambert. Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo Meulenhoff. ISBN 9789401401593. Retrieved 5 November 2013. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Philippe Gilbert.

• Philippe Gilbert at Trap-Friis.dk. Archive copy at the Wayback Machine (archived 24 May 2011)
• Official website
• Palmares on Cycling Base (French)

Philippe Gilbert sporting positions and awards v t e UCI Road World Champions – Men's road race 1927 Binda 1928 Ronsse 1929 Ronsse 1930 Binda 1931 Guerra 1932 Binda 1933 Speicher 1934 Kaers 1935 Aerts 1936 Magne 1937 Meulenberg 1938 Kint 1946 Knecht 1947 Middelkamp 1948 Schotte 1949 Van Steenbergen 1950 Schotte 1951 Kübler 1952 Müller 1953 Coppi 1954 Bobet 1955 Ockers 1956 Van Steenbergen 1957 Van Steenbergen 1958 Baldini 1959 Darrigade 1960 Van Looy 1961 Van Looy 1962 Stablinski 1963 Beheyt 1964 Janssen 1965 Simpson 1966 Altig 1967 E. Merckx 1968 Adorni 1969 Ottenbros 1970 Monseré 1971 E. Merckx 1972 M. Basso 1973 Gimondi 1974 E. Merckx 1975 Kuiper 1976 Maertens 1977 F. Moser 1978 Knetemann 1979 Raas 1980 B. Hinault 1981 Maertens 1982 Saronni 1983 LeMond 1984 Criquielion 1985 Zoetemelk 1986 Argentin 1987 S. Roche 1988 Fondriest 1989 LeMond 1990 Dhaenens 1991 Bugno 1992 Bugno 1993 Armstrong 1994 Leblanc 1995 Olano 1996 Museeuw 1997 Brochard 1998 Camenzind 1999 Freire 2000 Vainšteins 2001 Freire 2002 Cipollini 2003 Astarloa 2004 Freire 2005 Boonen 2006 Bettini 2007 Bettini 2008 Ballan 2009 Evans 2010 Hushovd 2011 Cavendish 2012 Gilbert 2013 Costa v t e Belgian Sportsperson of the Year Men 1967 Ferdinand Bracke 1968 Serge Reding 1969–1974 Eddy Merckx 1975 Bruno Brokken 1976 Ivo Van Damme 1977 Michel Pollentier 1978 Raymond Ceulemans 1979–1980 Robert Van de Walle 1981 Freddy Maertens 1982 Jacky Ickx 1983 Eddy Annys 1984 Claude Criquielion 1985 Gaston Rahier & Vincent Rousseau 1986 William Van Dijck 1987 Georges Jobé 1988 Eric Geboers 1989 Thierry Boutsen 1990 Rudy Dhaenens 1991 Jean-Michel Saive 1992 Georges Jobé 1993 Vincent Rousseau 1994 Jean-Michel Saive 1995–1996 Fred Deburghgraeve 1997 Luc Van Lierde 1998 Fred Deburghgraeve 1999 Luc Van Lierde 2000 Joël Smets 2001–2004 Stefan Everts 2005 Tom Boonen 2006 Stefan Everts 2007 Tom Boonen 2008 Sven Nys 2009–2011 Philippe Gilbert 2012 Tom Boonen 2013 Frederik Van Lierde Women 1975 Carine Verbauwen 1976–1977 Anne-Marie Pira 1978–1979 Carine Verbauwen 1980 Ingrid Berghmans 1981 Annie Lambrechts 1982–1986 Ingrid Berghmans 1987 Ingrid Lempereur 1988–1989 Ingrid Berghmans 1990–1991 Sabine Appelmans 1992 Annelies Bredael 1993 Gella Vandecaveye 1994–1995 Brigitte Becue 1996 Ulla Werbrouck 1997 Gella Vandecaveye 1998 Dominique Monami 1999–2002 Kim Clijsters 2003–2004 Justine Henin-Hardenne 2005 Kim Clijsters 2006–2007 Justine Henin-Hardenne 2008 Tia Hellebaut 2009–2011 Kim Clijsters 2012 Evi Van Acker 2013 Kirsten Flipkens Team 1997 Noliko Maaseik 1998 Belgian Motorcross team 1999 Davis Cup team 2000 Anderlecht 2001 Fed Cup team 2002 La Villette 2003 Belgian Motorcross team 2004 Women's 4×100 metres relay 2005 Under-21 football team 2006 Fed Cup team 2007–2008 Women's 4×100 metres relay 2009–2011 Men's 4×400 metres relay 2012 Field hockey team 2013 Football team Talent 1998 Kim Clijsters 1999 Bart Wellens 2000 Bart Aernouts 2001 Jurgen Van Den Broeck 2002 Thomas Buffel 2003 Kirsten Flipkens 2004 Aagje Vanwalleghem 2005 Niels Albert 2006 Yoris Grandjean 2007 Dominique Cornu 2008 Elise Matthysen 2009 Romelu Lukaku 2010 Luca Brecel 2011 Thomas van der Plaetsen 2012 Kimmer Coppejans 2013 Nafissatou Thiam Paralympic 2010 Sven Decaesstecker 2011 Wim Decleir 2012 Marieke Vervoort 2013 Joachim Gérard Coach 2011–2012 Jacques Borlée 2013 Marc Wilmots v t e UCI Road World Cup, UCI ProTour and UCI World Tour winners UCI Road World Cup 1989 Sean Kelly 1990 Gianni Bugno 1991 Maurizio Fondriest 1992 Olaf Ludwig 1993 Maurizio Fondriest 1994 Gianluca Bortolami 1995 Johan Museeuw 1996 Johan Museeuw 1997 Michele Bartoli 1998 Michele Bartoli 1999 Andrei Tchmil 2000 Erik Zabel 2001 Erik Dekker 2002 Paolo Bettini 2003 Paolo Bettini 2004 Paolo Bettini UCI ProTour 2005 Danilo Di Luca 2006 Alejandro Valverde 2007 Cadel Evans 2008 Alejandro Valverde UCI World Tour 2009 Alberto Contador 2010 Joaquim Rodríguez 2011 Philippe Gilbert 2012 Joaquim Rodríguez 2013 Joaquim Rodríguez v t e Vélo d'Or Winners 1992: Indurain 1993: Indurain 1994: Rominger 1995: Jalabert 1996: Museeuw 1997: Ullrich 1998: Pantani 1999: Armstrong 2000: Armstrong 2001: Armstrong 2002: Cipollini 2003: Armstrong 2004: Armstrong 2005: Boonen 2006: Bettini 2007: Contador 2008: Contador 2009: Contador 2010: Cancellara 2011: Gilbert 2012: Wiggins 2013: Froome v t e Belgian Professional Cyclist of the Year Crystal Bicycle 1992 De Wolf 1993 Museeuw 1994 Herygers 1995–1997 Museeuw 1998 Steels 1999 Vandenbroucke 2000 Tchmil 2001 Verbrugghe 2002 Museeuw 2003 Van Petegem 2004–2006 Boonen 2007 Nys 2008–2011 Gilbert 2012 Boonen 2013 Nys Best Young Rider 1994 Trouvé 1995 Hoste 1996 D'Hollander 1997–1998 Nys 1999 Hulsmans 2000 Van Goolen 2001 Boonen 2002 De Weert 2003 Vansummeren 2004–2005 Albert 2006 Cornu 2007 Albert 2008 Bakelants 2009 Boeckmans 2010 Eijssen 2011 Van der Sande 2012 Van Hoecke 2013 Decraene Best Manager 2000 Lefevere & Bruyneel 2001 Braeckevelt 2002–2003 Bruyneel 2004 Lefevere 2005 De Cauwer 2006 Lefevere 2007–2009 Bruyneel 2010 Sergeant 2011 Lelangue 2012 Bomans 2013 Lefevere Crystal Drop of Sweat 2005 Hulsmans 2006 Steegmans 2007 Vansummeren 2008 Aerts 2009 Vandenbergh 2010 Aerts 2011 Vanendert 2012 De Weert 2013 Vandenbergh v t e Belgian National Road Race Champion – Men's Elite 1894 Houa 1895-1896 Luyten 1897-1898 Bertrand 1899 Degeetere 1900 Quoidbach 1901 Burger 1902 Defrance 1903 Vanderstuyft 1904 Sales 1905 Jamar 1906 Not held 1907-1908 Verstraeten 1909 Van Hauwaert 1910 Hanlet 1911 Defraye 1912 Verschoore 1913 Van Daele 1914 Dethier 1915-1918 Not held 1919 Rossius 1920-1921 Vanhevel 1922 Vermandel 1923 Sellier 1924 Vermandel 1925 Debaets 1926 Sellier 1927 Mortelmans 1928 Dervaes 1929-1930 Wauters 1931 Schepers 1932 Lemaire 1933 Duerloo 1934 Roels 1935 Danneels 1936 Aerts 1937 Kaers 1938 Vantheemsche 1939 Kint 1940 Van den Meerschaut 1941 Defoort 1942 Maelbrancke 1943 Van Steenbergen 1944 Not held 1945 Van Steenbergen 1946-1947 Masson 1948 Buysse 1949 Ollivier 1950 Ramon 1951 Anthonis 1952 Schils 1953 Van Steenkiste 1954 Van Steenbergen 1955 Van Cauter 1956-1957 Vlayen 1958 Van Looy 1959 Oellibrandt 1960 De Mulder 1961 Van Aerde 1962 Planckaert 1963 Van Looy 1964 Sels 1965 Godefroot 1966 Reybrouck 1967 Boons 1968 Stevens 1969 De Vlaeminck 1970 E. Merckx 1971 Van Springel 1972 Godefroot 1973 Verbeeck 1974 Swerts 1975 Teirlinck 1976 Maertens 1977-1978 Pollentier 1979 Verlinden 1980 Jacobs 1981 De Vlaeminck 1982 Hoste 1983 Van Impe 1984 Vanderaerden 1985 Haghedooren 1986 Sergeant 1987 Van Den Haute 1988 De Wilde 1989 Bomans 1990 Criquielion 1991 Van Itterbeeck 1992 Museeuw 1993 Van den Bossche 1994-1995 Nelissen 1996 Museeuw 1997-1998 Steels 1999 Dierckxsens 2000 A. Merckx 2001 Capelle 2002 Steels 2003 Omloop 2004 Steels 2005 Baguet 2006 Eeckhout 2007 Devolder 2008 Roelandts 2009 Boonen 2010 Devolder 2011 Gilbert 2012 Boonen 2013 Devolder v t e Belgian National Time Trial Champion – Men's Elite 1997 Streel 1998 Not held 1999 Streel 2000 Verbrugghe 2001 Hoste 2002 Wauters 2003 Wauters 2004 Roesems 2005 Wauters 2006 Hoste 2007 Hoste 2008 Devolder 2009 Monfort 2010 Devolder 2011 Gilbert 2012 Vandewalle 2013 Vandewalle