Phillipe Gilbert

Philippe Gilbert, born on July 5, 1982, in Verviers, Belgium, embarked on his professional cycling career in 2003 with FDJeux.com. Even in his early years, Gilbert demonstrated his potential, securing his first professional victory by winning a stage in the Tour de l’Avenir in 2003. The following year, he won a stage and the young rider classification at the Tour Down Under and competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics. His early career also saw him claim multiple victories in France during 2005, including the Trophée des Grimpeurs, Tour du Haut Var, and Polynormande, which led him to win the French Road Cycling Cup. By 2006, Gilbert began solidifying his reputation, winning the Omloop Het Volk, Grand Prix de Fourmies, and Grand Prix de Wallonie, alongside stage wins at the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and Eneco Tour.

Gilbert’s career ascended significantly with Silence–Lotto from 2009 to 2011. During this period, he notably won the Giro di Lombardia twice (2009, 2010) and Paris–Tours twice (2008, 2009). The 2011 season marked a career highlight, where he achieved a rare feat by winning all three Ardennes classics—the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège–Bastogne–Liège—in a single year. He also secured a stage win at the Tour de France, wearing the yellow jersey, and finished the year as the overall winner of the UCI World Tour. Joining BMC Racing Team in 2012, Gilbert continued his success by becoming the UCI Elite Men’s Road Race world champion, showcasing his explosive climbing abilities on the Cauberg. He also achieved two stage victories at the Vuelta a España that year.

Throughout his career, Gilbert consistently performed at a high level in one-day races and classics. He won the Amstel Gold Race a total of four times (2010, 2011, 2014, 2017), the Tour of Flanders in 2017, and Paris–Roubaix in 2019, making him one of only a few riders to win four of the five cycling monuments. He also collected stage wins across all three Grand Tours: three at the Giro d’Italia (2009, 2015), one at the Tour de France (2011), and seven at the Vuelta a España (2010, 2012, 2013, 2019). Gilbert retired from professional cycling after the 2022 Paris–Tours, culminating a distinguished career with numerous major victories and accolades, including multiple Belgian national championships and several ‘Cyclist of the Year’ awards.