Philip Gilbert, ace, champion, old, strong… The rider of the Lotto Soudal Last week he raised his arms again (top photo, Belga Image). Once upon a time, the Walloon was familiar with victory. Then suddenly, due to a long series of unexpected events, it seemed to have become a mirage. But John Lelangue, its general manager and sporting director, never doubted that the sun could shine again.
He achieved the victory in a stage of the Four Days of Dunkirk, The race commemorates the terrible battle of 1940 during World War II. A battle that lasted eight days and marked Hitler's advance, but also marked the first signs of Allied resistance.
E the resistance is what Philippe Gilbert has also shown in these post-Covid years. The move to Lelangue's team had been punctuated only by debacles.
John, tell us a little about Gilbert's victory at Dunkirk: did you expect it?
It was a great satisfaction to see him win again. I've known Philippe for a long time, since he was at BMC, and when he joined this team, Lotto Soudal, in 2020, he immediately became an integral part of it. This is where he began the final stretch of his career.
A complicated arrival though…
Very much so. He arrived and things were going well. He was coming off a victory at Roubaix, he'd done a good Vuelta. In the winter of 2019, he'd started with a good Het Nieuwsblad and an excellent Paris-Nice. Then Covid arrived. During this period, he trained very well. On August 1st, he finished top ten at Sanremo and we went to Tour with the idea of winning a stage. But he fell immediately and hit the knee which he had already injured in the past on the Portet d'Aspet. He underwent a very long rehabilitation. He spent two seasons recovering until At the last Liège something changed. He didn't get any results, but for the first time in two years, he didn't experience any physical problems, not even breathing problems (post-Covid, ed.). In short, he had rediscovered the pleasure of running.
And that changed everything…
It counted a lot. In the following days we went to Dunkirk with Arnaud De Lie Captain. But we lost him at the first stage, and Gilbert found himself in the lead. He showed incredible determination and wanted to prove that the last two years hadn't been him, that he can still do it. Of course, we realize it's very difficult today with the Pogacars and the new generation... but it was a relief. But be careful, from now on for him it will not be a career-ending catwalk, it will not be a long ceremony. He wants to run to win and to help. And that's very important to me, too.
It's important to you: a rider like that who's the road captain knows what he's doing...
Very important. Philippe is a Hincapie of BMC, with the difference that he is a living monument. I can tell you that in the pre- and post-race meetings or even during the race when he speaks there is silence. Everyone listens to him. He's legitimized by his many successes. And he has a comprehensive vision of the race.
Total vision?
Yes, he sees the race like few others. In the last Roubaix, for example, he had seen in the initial stages of the race, that the Ineos-Grenadiers He was preparing for some movement, he must have caught some phrase and so he radioed two riders who were close to him and even though they struggled, they managed to move and in fact at the key moment they were in front. And then a Gilbert like that is a help and a stimulus for my young people like Vervloesem, Vermeersch, De Lie.
A sports director in the running, in short?
Oh yes. And then it's a pleasure working with him. He's perfect. In the group he talks a lot and sees everything. We go to the right, we go up the left. He's the sporting director's eye in the group.
You said earlier that it won't be a catwalk for Gilbert: what's his schedule then?
"Step by step," we'll see step by step. For now, there are a few races he wants to win in June. Then we'll see whether to do the Dauphiné or the Tour de Suisse. We'll also see if he does the Tour. Philippe, like all his teammates, knows I'll bring the strongest riders to the Grande Boucle. And then between now and October we have to make sure he can win again.
Well, it could end with a great Giro di Lombardia!
We'll see," Lelangue laughs, "but we have to be realistic. With this new generation, many balances in certain races have changed. pogacar, pidcock…and many climbers. It's difficult to excel in a race like this these days; more accessible races are better.
And for 2023, what do you envision for Gilbert's future? Given that he's so good, would you want him as sports director?
I'd love to! But I think he's run a lot and made enormous sacrifices in his career, and those of a sports director are, in some ways, even greater. A technician is away from home 200 days a year. I think Philippe also wants to enjoy his family, his children... Who, by the way, ride bikes. For now, there are no future plans. In the meantime, I'll take him as a rider until his last race. After that, every decision is his, and he's free to do what he wants.
But would the doors be open at Lotto Soudal?
Totally open and at all times.
John, you've known Gilbert for many years. What struck you about this athlete?
I first met Gilbert in the winter of 2011, and he immediately had a difficult year. A bad crash at the beginning of the season ruined many of his results. It was horrible. Then we started thinking about the Vuelta. “We are going to the Vuelta to do well in the World Championships”, This was our only goal. He won two stages in Spain. He arrived in Valkenburg not at his best, but in good condition and full of confidence.
And Gilbert won that world championship…
And the same in 2018. He was at Quick-Step, he finished the Tour stage with a broken knee. He comes to us and the same thing happens again. At that point, a rider his age and with all he's won could have given up. Instead, he got down to work, drawing a lot of criticism from the media, from fans... because it seemed like he wasn't working hard and because he wasn't performing. He, on the other hand, wanted to win wearing the Lotto-Soudal jersey. And in the end, he got his revenge. Just think, in Dunkirk he was even angry because he almost lost the overall standings because of a time bonus. Philippe never gives up: that's what strikes me about him.
