Philippe Gilbert, born in 1982 in Verviers, Belgium, finished his professional road cycling career after the 2022 Paris–Tours. A versatile Classics specialist, he achieved a historic feat in 2011 by winning all three Ardennes classics—the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège–Bastogne–Liège—in a single season, a record matched by only one other rider.
Early Career and FDJeux.com
Gilbert turned professional in 2003 with FDJeux.com after serving as a stagiaire. His initial years were marked by consistent development, including a 2004 stage win at the Tour Down Under and victory in the Paris–Corrèze. In 2006, he won the Omloop Het Volk via a solo attack. Despite a 2007 season delayed by the removal of a skin cancer lesion, he secured success in 2008 by winning Paris–Tours.
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Moving to Silence–Lotto in 2009, Gilbert established himself as a premier Classics rider. He claimed his first Grand Tour stage at the 2009 Giro d'Italia and earned back-to-back victories at the Giro di Lombardia in 2009 and 2010. His 2011 campaign remains his most successful, culminating in an overall UCI World Tour victory and a win at the World Road Race Championships in 2012.
Legacy and Post-Professional Roles
Throughout his career, Gilbert won stages in all three Grand Tours: three at the Giro d'Italia, one at the Tour de France, and seven at the Vuelta a España. Beyond his race results, he was elected to the Union Cycliste Internationale Athletes' Commission in 2021. He retired following the 2022 season, commemorated by a mural in the caves of the Cauberg in Valkenburg aan de Geul.
Fast facts
- Born: 1982, Verviers, Belgium
- Citizenship: Belgium
- Professional debut: 2003
- Major titles: World Road Race Champion (2012)
- Residence: Monaco
- UCI Athletes' Commission representative: Elected 2021
Questions readers ask
Did Philippe Gilbert win all five cycling monuments?
No, he won four of the five cycling monuments during his career.
What specific classics did he win in 2011?
In 2011, he won the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
Achievements
- Competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- 2004 UCI Road World Cup
