Maxim Van Gils is a notable absentee from the Ardennes Classics this week, the Belgian puncheur still recovering from a fractured pelvis and shoulder sustained in a crash at the Clásica Jaén in February.
Van Gils was one of the stars of the spring two years ago, taking podiums at Strade Bianche and La Flèche Wallonne, plus a fourth place at Liège-Bastogne-Liège and seventh at Milan-San Remo.
This season, he's been forced to watch those races from the sidelines rather than lead Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's challenge. Van Gils told Het Nieuwsblad that the recovery process is going well, having started cycling outdoors at the end of March.
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"It's going well, but I'm still way behind. I had to go without a bike for a good five weeks – that’s like starting to cycle again in November," he said.
"If I train for longer than four hours now, I’m completely exhausted. But it is getting better step by step. My pelvis doesn’t really bother me anymore. Only my shoulder still aches a bit when I cycle for a long time."
Van Gils went down hard in the final metres of the Clásica Jaén in the sprint for second place, with Jan Christen sweeping across the road and taking him out.
The Swiss racer, later disqualified, was quick to apologise for his actions – "that very same evening. As far as I'm concerned, nothing will linger from this" – but Van Gils was left facing a months-long recovery process.
He said that he spent a fortnight in a wheelchair and had to learn to walk again following the crash.
"The hardest moment actually only came when I started cycling again. Because that’s when I was confronted with the work I still had to do," Van Gils said.
"I felt like I wasn’t making any progress, even though I’m used to flying around at this time of year. The weeks before felt like they went by super fast. I wasn’t bored for a single moment."
He's been watching the spring Classics from home, missing the main goals of his season. The goal is to join his team at a May training camp in Sierra Nevada ahead of a racing return at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in June.
"It’s a shame, of course," he said of missing the spring. "Along with the Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo, those are the most important races of my season.
"I certainly saw a good opportunity in La Flèche Wallonne, now that Pogačar isn't starting there. But that’s just how it is. I enjoy watching races, so it’s also nice to follow them on television for a change."
A revision of his season goals will surely follow. Van Gils said that he hopes to make the squad for the Tour de France, all going well.
"Otherwise, there is possibly the Vuelta or the Canadian Classics. The World Championships in Montreal should also suit me," he added, before acknowledging that he would be riding in service of compatriot and Red Bull leader Remco Evenepoel at some of those races.
"When I signed here, I knew I wouldn’t be riding races like the Tour or the Dauphiné as a team leader. It is actually one of the reasons why I came here: to have a goal every day in those races."
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