Philippe Gilbert Discussion Thread

[Billie]

imagine his palmares if BMC weren't such shambles

 

[IndianCyclist]

Yet his move to QS was kind of surprising where he is working with 3 cobble specialists while at BMC he could not work with only one.

 

[spiritualride]

I just looked up his 2011 season. He won in 16 out of 20 events in a sequence. Won in 9 out of 9 events in a row. Has any rider ever had a streak like that?

Every race he entered in order, if starting with Algarve:

Won a stage in Volta a Algarve,
43rd - Omloop Het News
1st - Strade Bianche
Won a stage in Tirreno-Adriatico
3rd - Milan San Remo
36th - Gent Wevelgem
9th - Ronde van Vlandren
1st - De Brabantse Pijl
1st - Amstel Gold
1st - Fleche Wallone
1st - LBL
GC and 1 stage of the 2.HC Tour of Belgium
GC and 1 stage of Ster Zlm Toer - Gp Jan Van Heeswijk (2.1)
1st - National Championships
Won a stage of the TDF
1st - San Sebastian
1 stage and 2nd overall in Eneco Tour
1st - Belgium TT champs
57th - GP Ouest France
1st - Quebec
3rd - Montreal
1st - GP de Wallonie

http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.php?id=140855&season=2011

 

[pink_jersey]

Re:

I just looked up his 2011 season. He won in 16 out of 20 events in a sequence. Won in 9 out of 9 events in a row. Has any rider ever had a streak like that?

Every race he entered in order, if starting with Algarve:

Won a stage in Volta a Algarve,
43rd - Omloop Het News
1st - Strade Bianche
Won a stage in Tirreno-Adriatico
3rd - Milan San Remo
36th - Gent Wevelgem
9th - Ronde van Vlandren
1st - De Brabantse Pijl
1st - Amstel Gold
1st - Fleche Wallone
1st - LBL
GC and 1 stage of the 2.HC Tour of Belgium
GC and 1 stage of Ster Zlm Toer - Gp Jan Van Heeswijk (2.1)
1st - National Championships
Won a stage of the TDF
1st - San Sebastian
1 stage and 2nd overall in Eneco Tour
1st - Belgium TT champs
57th - GP Ouest France
1st - Quebec
3rd - Montreal
1st - GP de Wallonie

http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.php?id=140855&season=2011

That really was the best year a cyclist had in the modern era.. He destroyed every race. I remember David Millar saying that Gilbert told everyone where he'll attack in that Eneco stage he won, but he was just too strong. Nobody matched him.
His win in San Sebastian was impressive. Also, his Amstel performance and the Fleche record(at the time) were incredible.
Still pissed that he didn't hang on after Boosberg in De Ronde. Also, Pozzato going like a mad man after him in San Remo...

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yep, still the best season by quite some margin IMO in the modern era. Boonen, Cancellara, Froome, Nibali, Valverde, Sagan etc. have nothing on that season!

Happy to see him do this well. I can't imagine how El Pisto must be feeling then.

 

[Netserk]

Yet his second biggest win was Amstel that year...

Not really comparable to being the only rider other than Merckx to win three or more of the monuments and WCRR in the same season.

 

[DFA123]

Re:

Yep, still the best season by quite some margin IMO in the modern era. Boonen, Cancellara, Froome, Nibali, Valverde, Sagan etc. have nothing on that season!

It's an incredible performance in this era. To be so dominant in hilly classics is almost impossible nowdays - unlike the cobbled specialists; the riders there aren't usually strong enough to go solo or to close down all attacks by themselves - so usually need a lot more luck and team support. But Gilbert didn't - he just dominated everything by being a more powerful and a more explosive puncheur than everyone else. Winning solo, from small groups, sprints - pretty much everything. The only slight caveat of course, being that the best hilly classics rider of his generation was absent in 2011.

 

[Akuryo]

Just needs to win Ronde !

Hugely underrated due to his lean years at BMC but has there been a more versatile Classics rider this century?

Who else has won such diverse races such as Lombardia, Paris Tour, Het Volk & Amstel?

Not quite yet but Kwiatkowski sure has the potential to do so. Already won Amstel, MSR, E3 and Strade Bianche. And except Roubaix I would say he at least has a shot at all the other Monuments.

But I'm really impressed with Gilberts form so far. When he signed I did not know what to expect but he has animated every race he entered this year. He seems hungry for another "big one".

 

[El Pistolero]

Re:

Yet his second biggest win was Amstel that year...

Not really comparable to being the only rider other than Merckx to win three or more of the monuments and WCRR in the same season.

I'd rather have Boonen's 2005, but Gilbert's 2011 was more impressive. Luck also plays an important role in these things. If the WC wasn't flat that year he might have also won it. If Pippo didn't chase him down for no reason in MSR he might have won that one as well. The break also survived a couple of times in the Tour on stages where Phil was the best of the favorites.

 

[Netserk]

If not for bad luck, Boonen would have won green in 2005 as well.

 

[Billie]

Gilbert's 09 and 10 seasons are mightily underrated.

The constant references to 11 without crediting his previous two seasons annoy me

 

[El Pistolero]

Re:

If not for bad luck, Boonen would have won green in 2005 as well.

And he'd probably not have enough energy left to win the WC then (something he has suggested himself).

 

[movingtarget]

Re:

Gilbert's 09 and 10 seasons are mightily underrated.

The constant references to 11 without crediting his previous two seasons annoy me

I guess the last few years are even more annoying.

 

[Mr.White]

Gilbert is riding with the big boys of cobbled classics on equal therms, seems like he rediscovered his form. He might do something big at De Ronde, I think he's maybe the only one who can follow Sagan on Paterberg.
But I'm really curious how is he going to square off with the hilly classics big boys? Last 2 years he was not part of the leading echelon, and this year he has Martin and Alaphilippe, 2 of the very best in his own team. Sky has depth too with Kwiatkowski, Henao and Poels. And this two super-teams will try to take Valverde off the throne.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Gilbert is the 3rd biggest favorite for Ronde van Vlaanderen. A distant third behind the two superstars, but nevertheless the most dangerous outsider. And that in itself is a big deal considering his last years!

Hoping he goes early like Dwaars and E-3, could make for an epic race.

 

[Ricco']

Re:

Gilbert is the 3rd biggest favorite for Ronde van Vlaanderen. A distant third behind the two superstars, but nevertheless the most dangerous outsider. And that in itself is a big deal considering his last years!

Hoping he goes early like Dwaars and E-3, could make for an epic race.

I've been thinking about this and I don't know if Gilbert is going to be used that way. He seems to be the better rider at Quick-Step squad right now for sunday and I think he should be saved for the final part, as he seems to be the one with the ability to follow the main moves and attack on the Paterberg. Terpstra/Stybar/Boonen/Trentin/Lampaert should be used from far out to try to break the race and put Bora under pressure while Gilbert pays close atention to Sagan and Van Avermaet.

That's what I would do if I was in the car, but maybe there's a reason why I'm home right now.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Yeah, that makes sense.

Philippe Kop Van de Kopstrijd is on fire!

 

[Mr.White]

Gilbert must be The Man for de Ronde in QS, they must work for him, no doubt about that! Others may win only with extreme luck, Gilbert is there with the biggest favorites. Nobody will drop him on the Paterberg, it can only be the other way around. I would test Sagan and GVA already on Koppenberg if I was him, and also send strongest teammates like Terpstra, Stybar or Boonen ahead before that

 

[yaco]

Posted last week that Gilbert is my favorite for RVV - He's in rare form.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

Re: Re:

I just looked up his 2011 season. He won in 16 out of 20 events in a sequence. Won in 9 out of 9 events in a row. Has any rider ever had a streak like that?

Every race he entered in order, if starting with Algarve:

Won a stage in Volta a Algarve,
43rd - Omloop Het News
1st - Strade Bianche
Won a stage in Tirreno-Adriatico
3rd - Milan San Remo
36th - Gent Wevelgem
9th - Ronde van Vlandren
1st - De Brabantse Pijl
1st - Amstel Gold
1st - Fleche Wallone
1st - LBL
GC and 1 stage of the 2.HC Tour of Belgium
GC and 1 stage of Ster Zlm Toer - Gp Jan Van Heeswijk (2.1)
1st - National Championships
Won a stage of the TDF
1st - San Sebastian
1 stage and 2nd overall in Eneco Tour
1st - Belgium TT champs
57th - GP Ouest France
1st - Quebec
3rd - Montreal
1st - GP de Wallonie

http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.php?id=140855&season=2011

That really was the best year a cyclist had in the modern era.. He destroyed every race. I remember David Millar saying that Gilbert told everyone where he'll attack in that Eneco stage he won, but he was just too strong. Nobody matched him.
His win in San Sebastian was impressive. Also, his Amstel performance and the Fleche record(at the time) were incredible.
Still pissed that he didn't hang on after Boosberg in De Ronde. Also, Pozzato going like a mad man after him in San Remo...

What do you consider the modern era? For me best season since Jaja in 1997. Jalabert in 1995 is out of reach, of course.

His race calendar according to his website:

RVV
Brabantse Pijl
Amstel
Fleche Wallonne
LBL
Giro
Ster ZLM Toer
Nationals

 

[yaco]

Think RVV and Amstel are very winnable races.

 

[Billie]

Amstel gold race should be happy that the route is changed cause otherwise the winner was already certain

 

[PremierAndrew]

Tbh, I'd go as far as to say his form right now is almost the same as his form during that 2011 season, and better than 09 and 10

 

[Valv.Piti]

Re:

Amstel gold race should be happy that the route is changed cause otherwise the winner was already certain

Yep. Can't feel the chain at the moment. But then he will just go long anyways as he has done so far in the cobbles.

I can't believe how drastically he changed as a rider first transferring to BMC in 2012 and then Quick Step in 2017. Its day-night-day.

 

[Brullnux]

Ardennes Triple v2.0?

I'm not serious btw