Philippe Gilbert is a very young retiree, he has not even officially (and above all symbolically) hung up the bike on the nail that he has already received a new job offer. His current team, Lotto-Soudal, offered him the job of manager. To put an end to the many rumors concerning his retraining, the Belgian wanted to clarify the situation a little.
Lotto is indeed looking for a manager and has indeed contacted Philippe, as he confirms in a video posted on his Youtube account. “I was contacted over a year ago for this position. And more recently through the media. It’s certainly a great offer, but I don’t feel ready to take on this role of general manager of a cycling team because it’s a lot of work and it also requires a lot of experience and hindsight. After 20 years of cycling, although I have the experience of this small complex environment, it still seems complicated to me..”
He elaborates on his point of view:General manager is not only managing the first team, but also the young people. These are a lot of jobs, there must be no less than a hundred. I don’t feel ready.“
The runner seems to need a little step back and rest: “In life, I like to do things well. It may be a role that I will take on later when I have accumulated the necessary experience and also have some perspective. I always need to live with a purpose in life, but maybe not as demanding and tiring as this one. […] I want to calm down the pace a bit, enjoy a few months of this new life. For the moment it’s all fresh, all new, everything is fine. Now we have to find a balance. These are things that professional athletes and especially cyclists are not prepared for. It’s a gap in our sports. I am lucky to be well surrounded. […] I will keep you informed of my new challenges, because there will be some. But the new manager of Lotto-Soudal will not be me, although I feel very honored by this proposal.”
Philippe Gilbert will definitely hang up his bike next Saturday, after a criterium with a finish in the Cauberg in Valkenburg.