Philippe Gilbert ordered to pay former Omega Pharma-Lotto team €300,000
An ongoing legal dispute has culminated in the Belgian rider being told to return money to his former in employer


Belgian former world champion Philippe Gilbert must return €300,000 (£257,000) to the Omega Pharma-Lotto team, says a court this week in Ghent, Belgium.
The team paid Gilbert €715,000 (£613,000) in bonuses from the 2011 season assuming that he would race with the team in 2012. He signed with BMC Racing for that year, though.
>>> 100 Best Road Riders of 2016
"The court in Ghent ruled that Gilbert committed breach of contract when he signed with BMC Racing in 2012," reported Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.
The 2012 world champion rode the last five years with BMC Racing. In 2017, he will race with team Quick-Step.
In 2011, he enjoyed his best season to date. He won all three Ardennes Classics and took the yellow jersey with the first stage victory in the Tour de France.
The season also included victories in De Brabantse Pijl, the Tour of Belgium, the Ster ZLM Tour, the Belgian Championships, the Clásica San Sebastián and the GP Quebec.
Marc Coucke's management company (BCC) had to pay out bonuses of €715,000 on top of Gilbert's €1.2 million (£1.03m) salary. The Ghent Labour Court, however, has said that Gilbert had to pay the money back – at least part of it.
23 September 2012
Road World Championships (Limburg, THE NETHERLANDS)
Men Elite
1st : GILBERT Philippe (BEL) BMC
Photo : Yuzuru SUNADA
The legal dispute continued for four years after Gilbert left the team in 2012.
Gilbert renewed his contract in March 2010 with Coucke and his BCC management company, signing on for 2011 with an option for 2012.
After his 2011 season, though, he had many lucrative offers. Quick-Step team manager Patrick Lefevere then offered him €3 million, reported Het Nieuwsblad. Gilbert signed with American/Swiss team BMC.
Coucke initially refused to pay the bonuses with Gilbert then taking his company to the UCI's arbitration board and later the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
He won because when the management sent updated documents to the court, it forgot to include the crucial pages with Gilbert's 2012 option.
Coucke turned to the Ghent Labour Court to examine it. The article reported that judge ruled that Gilbert committed breach of contract in 2011, but because of the uncertainty for 2012, he does not have to return the entire sum.
It is unclear where the money will go as Coucke sold his pharmaceutical company Omega Pharma to Perrigo Company for €3.6 billion (£3.09b) in March 2015.
Gilbert also still has the option of appealing the court's decision.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
-
Caleb Ewan's struggles continue at 'Giro d'Italia from hell'
The Australian rider seemed dejected on Instagram after finishing over 30 minutes on stage ten
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Biniam Girmay withdraws from Giro d'Italia following podium eye injury
A cork struck the Eritrean in his left eye while he celebrated his historic stage ten victory on Tuesday
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Retiring Philippe Gilbert ends 966-day drought without a win
The Belgian rider won the third stage at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque, his first victory since September 2019
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Philippe Gilbert will aim for missing Milan-San Remo Monument to complete set in final season
But the Belgian isn't just focusing on the one-day race in his last year as a pro
By Jonny Long • Published
-
'In my own country, I'm not part of the team': Philippe Gilbert and Greg Van Avermaet not selected for home World Championships
There were a few surprise names left off the list for the Flanders 2021 Worlds
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
Chris Froome and Philippe Gilbert save fan who fell down ravine on Tour de France stage 17
The incident occurred on the descent of the Col du Portet as the riders made their way back to the buses
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Philippe Gilbert says he'll retire at the end of the 2022 season
The Belgian says at some point there is more to life than cycling
By Jonny Long • Published
-
'I lack mental freshness': Philippe Gilbert to miss Tour of Flanders 2021
The Belgian says he will rest up and try to re-focus in time for the Ardennes Classics
By Jonny Long • Published
-
Philippe Gilbert: Van der Poel and Van Aert have no life except cycling, I don’t know if they’ll be able to race that long
Philippe Gilbert said Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert have no life outside of cycling, and questioned how long they will be able to continue at their current pace.
By Alex Ballinger • Published
-
Philippe Gilbert to miss Classics after further struggles with Tour de France injury
The Paris-Roubaix champion will not return to defend his title as he continues to struggle with a knee injury
By Richard Windsor • Published