Maxim Van Gils holds no grudge against Christen: "That's just how cycling goes"

Maxim Van Gils faces a long rehabilitation period after his severe crash in the Clásica Jaén and will have to miss his beloved spring classics. Van Gils crashed following a collision with Jan Christen, but the unfortunate Belgian does not hold his Swiss colleague responsible.

In an extensive interview on the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe website, Van Gils reflects for the first time on the much-discussed final sprint in the Spanish race over gravel roads. "Of course, I am not currently going through the best period of my life, but overall it's okay. The situation is what it is. I don’t feel hopeless or devastated. I hope the recovery goes as quickly as possible."

Van Gils can still clearly recall his crash. "When Tom Pidcock went left, I decided to react. Jan Christen came from the right and perhaps came a bit closer to me than necessary. But that’s just how cycling is. These things happen, especially after you’ve been riding over gravel roads for hours."

"Time stood still for a moment after that, but I don’t need to be angry at Christen. He wants to win races just as much as I do and was very motivated. I know the feeling of entering a finale and fighting for a podium spot. We train every day for that. The evening after the incident, he sent me a message via social media. I replied that I was at peace with it. I think he felt bad about it too and doesn’t want anything like that to happen."

Shoulder fracture
Van Gils suffered a pelvic fracture from his fall, but further medical examinations also revealed a fracture in his shoulder. "In a month, we’ll do new scans and X-rays to see how everything is progressing. If all goes well, I can start training on the rollers again in about four weeks. I won’t be able to do much for the next four to six weeks, but there’s still plenty of time and many great races ahead."