Philippe Gilbert declines management role at Lotto Soudal - "First I need to find a goal in life"

Philippe Gilbert is one of the most experienced riders in the peloton, and having retired over this weekend, the possibility of him taking on a management role at Lotto Soudal has sparked back. He has however, denied that he will be doing so for the time being.

Rumours had been circulating for the past few weeks about a change in role within Lotto Soudal, and the veteran responded in a Youtube video. “There’s a rumour that’s going around the cycling world that I’ll be the new manager of Lotto Soudal... I wanted to confirm that, with regards to the manager role, it won’t be me. I don’t feel ready. I feel honoured, though, that the team thought of me, but I’d rather leave another person to take it on," he said. 

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With several changes within the Belgian team's structure, including the departure of team CEO John Lelangue, Gilbert was asked to take on a management role. “It’s maybe a role that I’ll take later in life once I’ve got the necessary experience and I’ve had a bit of time to reflect,” he commented. “I think first I need to find a goal in life, but maybe not a goal that’s so time-consuming and tiring.”

The 40-year old has just concluded one of the most successful careers in pro cycling, which has included a World title in 2012 and four Amstel Gold Race wins all within the Valkenburg region. Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Il Lombardia (twice), Paris-Roubaix and the Tour des Flandres were all within his extensive palmarès, in which he nearly became a winner of all five monuments, an achievement that is almost unthinkable in modern cycling.

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