Tour also uncertain for Van Gils after incident with Christen, Evenepoel calls it 'a bit dirty'
Maxim Van Gils will not race again this spring after suffering a pelvic fracture at the Clásica Jaén. But at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, they are already considering the possibility that the Belgian might miss the Tour de France. Although team leader Remco Evenepoel remains hopeful.
Evenepoel will certainly have to do without Van Gils in the Ardennes classics. “Very unfortunate, I can only wish him a good and speedy recovery. But of course, it’s not ideal,” says the 26-year-old Belgian to Sporza. The newly crowned leader of the UAE Tour hopes his compatriot can still make it to the Tour de France. “If he takes everything easy and smoothly, there’s still time for the Tour.”
‘A bit messy’
Van Gils crashed at Clásica Jaén while sprinting for second place alongside Tom Pidcock and Jan Christen. The latter lost his line and clipped Van Gils, who then flipped over. “The way it happened was a bit messy,” Evenepoel reflects on the incident.
Christen himself has also responded to the incident, offering Van Gils his apologies and describing it as an ‘unfortunate accident.’ “What I know for myself is that I would never intentionally put another rider in danger.”
Tour uncertain
While Evenepoel believes Van Gils still has enough time to make the Tour, Klaas Lodewyck (sports director at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) has doubts. “It will be tight for the Tour,” he says. “It’s definitely a blow for the team. (...) He has a clear fracture. Now they will assess how severe it is exactly. He had a very strong start to the season, so this is never easy to deal with.”
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe will officially communicate about Van Gils’ recovery process at a later stage.
