Still plenty of time to win Paris-Roubaix, says Philippe Gilbert
Now 36, the former world champion still believes he has numerous opportunities to add another Monument to his palmarès


Philippe Gilbert (Deceuninck-Quick-Step), 36, says that he still has plenty of time to add Paris-Roubaix to his list of career victories.
The Belgian has already won three other Monuments – Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Lombardia – and a world title. His best place is Roubaix is 15th, but that was last year when he raced it seriously for the first time.
Gilbert told Cycling Weekly that he didn't believe time was running out for him.
>>> Will having no clear favourite make Paris-Roubaix more exciting?
"When you look at the age of the ex-winners they are quite old sometimes," he said. "You see that this can only happen in these types of races where the explosiveness is not so important, but the resistance is really important. With age you have more of that, you don't get tired, you are like an old diesel motor. You never break."
Australian Mathew Hayman won in 2016 when he was 37 years old, before retiring at the start of 2019.
Gilbert has only raced Paris-Roubaix twice, so he is still learning. In 2007, he was still racing with Française des Jeux and then he returned last year after having devoted so much time to races like the Ardennes Classics.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
"I'm happy because I won some races before [trying for Paris-Roubaix], that was my goal, to try to win as much and different races as possible. That's what I did. In my eyes that was important," he continued.
"Now it's time to give a try at this, a little like Alejandro Valverde is doing with Flanders. He also won a lot of different races before, so not it's time for him to go for Flanders, we also have the same goal."
Gilbert raced for teams Lotto and BMC after leaving Française des Jeux. He built up a hefty palmarès with stages in the Tour de France and time in the yellow jersey. Now with Deceuninck-Quick-Step, the top cobbled Classics team, he has his best opportunity to learn.
With the team, he won the Tour of Flanders solo in 2017 and returned to Paris-Roubaix after 10 years. He began to pick up many skills, including positioning.
"It's crazy how positioning is important in this race because sometimes even one spot too far back and your race is over, you have to be in the right position in the right moment, and sometimes the right position is the first three," he said.
"This never happens in other races, you can be in the top 10 and still be able to win, but here maybe fifth or sixth is too far back because you cannot move up and pass other guys. Or it split in front of you and it's going 60K an hour and it's not possible to close even one metre."
A long-time goal for Gilbert is trying to win all five Monuments. He is lacking Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix. A win this Sunday would put him one step closer, but could be unrealistic given he was sick last week and forced to quit the Tour of Flanders early.
"It's hard to say. I was trying training carefully this week I didn't go deep because I was scared to get sick again," he added.
"One thing that is important its that no one is above the others, it's quite open again, I expect a quite tactical race, luck on your side and to be able to move and have the right combination. The team tactics will play a big role. if we are more in the final, the more the better."
Thank you for reading 20 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.
-
SRAM Red AXS 12 months on - Shimano is forced to share the throne
How has SRAM's Red AXS groupset stood up over the last year, and has it finally made me switch tribe?
By Joe Baker
-
'I thought, if the doctor is telling me it's fine, it must be fine - but it wasn't': Battling REDs and spotting the symptoms
Former pro cyclo-cross racer Corey Coogan Cisek assesses the problem of relative energy deficit in sport – REDs – drawing on her own battle with the condition
By Corey Coogan Cisek
-
I went to Paris-Roubaix Femmes and was shocked at how it is still treated as secondary to the men’s race
The women’s version of the Hell of the North is five years old, but needs to be put more on equal footing with the men
By Adam Becket
-
Broken hips, hands, and collarbones: Paris-Roubaix's lengthy injury list lays bare brutality of race
"It probably wasn't the best idea to continue," says one of weekend's many wounded riders
By Tom Davidson
-
Professional riders need more protection from mindless 'fans' at major races to avoid another Mathieu van der Poel Paris-Roubaix bottle incident
Cycling's authorities must do everything within their power to prevent spectators from assaulting riders
By Tom Thewlis
-
'I'll take a top 10, that's alright in the end' - Fred Wright finishes best of British at Paris-Roubaix
Bahrain-Victorious rider came back from a mechanical on the Arenberg to place ninth
By Adam Becket
-
'This is the furthest ride I've actually ever done' - Matthew Brennan lights up Paris-Roubaix at 19 years old
The day's youngest rider reflects on 'killer' Monument debut
By Tom Davidson
-
'One of the hardest races I've ever done in my life' - Tadej Pogačar finishes runner-up on Paris-Roubaix debut after crash
World champion reacts to 'extremely hard' battle with Mathieu van der Poel
By Tom Davidson
-
'I thought it would be dark by the time I got here' - Joey Pidcock, the last rider to finish Paris-Roubaix, on his brutal day out
Q36.5 rider finishes outside time limit, but still completes race with lap of the Roubaix Velodrome
By Adam Becket
-
'It was like a stone hitting my face' - Mathieu van der Poel calls for 'legal action' after bottle incident at Paris-Roubaix
The winner was hit by a bottle in the face on Templeuve, sector 8b
By Adam Becket