PHILIPPE GILBERT
Date of birth: 05/07/1982
From: Verviers, Belgium
Philippe Gilbert career profile
Philippe Gilbert is one of Belgium's most talented young one-day racers.
Part of a family of cyclists and a former student in horticulture, Gilbert's first season as a pro had a victory in a Tour de L'Avenir stage and a ride in the World's at Hamilton (where he was the youngest pro to take part) as its highlights.
Gilbert spent his first six years as a professional with Francaise des Jeux, but signed for Belgian squad Silence-Lotto in 2009. Ironically, his last ever race with Francaise des Jeux was his biggest at that point of his career - when he outsprinted his rivals in a late break for victory in Paris-Tours.
In 2009, Gilbert became the first rider to win both Paris-Tours and the
Tour of Lombardy in the same year since Jo De Roo in 1963.
Since then, Gilbert's palmares has swelled considerably as he has established himself as one of the most successful and exciting one-day riders, taking wins in the Tour of Lombardy (2009 and 2010), Amstel Gold Race (2010 and 2011), and stages of the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana.
Gilbert's 2011 Spring Classics campaign couldn't have gone better, as he became the first rider to win all three Ardennes classics (Amstel Gold Race, Fleche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege) since Davide Rebellin in 2004.
After a quiet 2012 season for BMC, Gilbert showed a glimmer of the previous year's form with two stage wins at the Vuelta a Espana in September. Just weeks later, Gilbert put in a devastating attack on the final ascent of the Cauberg in the World Championships road race to earn the coveted rainbow jersey.
Gilbert then spent 347 days without a win in the rainbow jersey until claiming stage 12 of the 2013 Vuelta a Espana.
Philippe Gilbert results
2015
Tour du Haut Var; points classification
Giro d'Italia; stage 12
Giro d'Italia; stage 18
2014
Brabantse Pijl
Amstel Gold Race
Ster ZLM Toer; prologue (ITT)
Ster ZLM Toer; stage three
Ster ZLM Toer; overall
Tour of Beijing; stage two
Tour of Beijing; overall
2013
Vuelta a Espana; stage 12
2012
Vuelta a Espana; stage nine
Vuelta a Espana; stage 19
World Championships; road race
2011
Tour of the Algarve; stage one
Montepaschi Strade Bianche
Tirreno-Adriatico; stage five
Brabantse Pijl
Amstel Gold Race
Fleche Wallonne
Liege-Bastogne-Liege
Belgian road race national champion
Tour de France; stage one
Clasica San Sebastian
Eneco Tour; stage three
2010
Tour of Lombardy
Tour of Belgium; stage one
Giro del Piemonte
Amstel Gold Race
Vuelta a Espana; stage three
Vuelta a Espana; stage 19
2009
Giro d'Italia; stage 20
Ster Elektrotoer; stage four
Ster Elektrotoer; overall
Paris-Tours
Coppa Sabatini
Giro del Piemonte
Tour of Lombardy
2008
Tour of Mallorca; stage one
Tour of Mallorca; stage four
Tour of Mallorca; overall
Paris-Tours
Het Volk
GP Samyn - Fayt-le-Franc
2007
Tour de Limousin; stage one
2006
Dauphine Libere; stage two
Eneco Tour; stage seven
Het Volk
GP Wallonie
GP Fourmies
2005
Four Days of Dunkirk; stage two
Tour of the Med.; stage two
Tour du Haut Var
Trophee des Grimpeurs
Polynormande
2004
Tour Down Under; stage three
Paris-Correze; overall
2003
Tour de L'Avenir; stage nine
RELATED LINKS
Cycling Weekly's Rider Profiles: Index
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