Maxim Van Gils reveals further damage but refuses to blame Jan Christen

Back in Belgium, the 25-year-old says the timing hurts, but his mindset is already forward looking. “Of course it’s not the best feeling of my life, but it’s okay. The situation is what it is. I’m not hopeless or totally sad and hope that the healing progresses as quickly as possible.”

Van Gils crashed deep in the finale of the gravel race while sprinting for the remaining podium places behind Tom Pidcock. In a three man fight on the finishing straight, he ended up in the barriers after contact as the line approached.

“When the three of us came onto the home straight, nobody really wanted to make the first move because there was a bit of a tailwind and it was also slightly downhill,” Van Gils explained. “Then Pidcock tried it on the left. I reacted. Christen then came from the right and maybe a bit closer than he needed. But that’s the way it is in cycling. Things like that happen.”

He described the moment the space ran out. “Everyone wanted to get to the finish line as quickly as possible and the barrier was getting closer and closer. At that moment, I got a little knock from Christen on my handlebars. I tipped into the barrier, which probably broke my bike and then I flew off over the handlebars.”

Initially, Van Gils believed he had escaped with nothing more than soreness. “I thought at that moment that I would probably be a bit stiff for the next few days, but that I could still build up a good form for Strade, Tirreno and Sanremo.” 

The diagnosis, delivered shortly after, changed everything. “And then someone from the team came to me and said that my hip was broken.”

Further examinations in Belgium confirmed a second blow: a fracture in his shoulder. The plan, Van Gils says, is to reassess in a month. “In a month’s time, we will take new scans and pictures and see how everything develops. If everything goes well, I might be able to get back on the rollers in four weeks or something.”

Despite the severity of the injuries, he is not directing anger at Jan Christen, the rider involved in the contact. “There’s no need to be mad with Christen either. He wants to win races just as much as I do, he was very motivated. I know the feeling of coming into the final and fighting for the podium. That’s what we train for every day.”

Christen reached out that same night. “The night after the incident, he sent me a message on social media. I replied to him and it was okay with that. I think he felt bad too and didn’t want something like that to happen.”

For now, Van Gils will spend the coming weeks off the bike, working with physiotherapists and waiting for the green light to restart training. 

He insists the season is not written off, even if the spring certainly is. “Of course not! It’s only just begun. I can’t do much for four to six weeks now. But it’s almost like the winter break.”