“Kylian Mbappe didn't have the best first year at Real Madrid, but now he's doing well” – Maxim van Gils draws inspiration from football superstar

Maxim van Gils has chosen an unusual reference point as he resets for a fresh push in 2026.

Speaking in quotes collected by Sporza, the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe rider revealed he has taken encouragement from the way Kylian Mbappe recovered from a difficult first campaign in Spain. The Belgian sees a similar turning point ahead for himself after an injury disrupted 2025.

Van Gils openly accepted that his debut season at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe fell short of what he had hoped. Yet he also insisted it contained enough flashes of genuine progress to build on.

“Mbappe didn't have the best season in his first year at Real Madrid, but now he's doing well,” he said. “For me, it was kind of similar.”

The theme running through Van Gils reflections was continuity. His 2025 form arrived in isolated bursts, followed by long stretches where setbacks prevented any rhythm from forming. That pattern, he admitted, was the biggest barrier of all.

“My first season wasn't my best and hopefully this one will be better than last year,” he said. “It was certainly not my worst season. I was a few times super good in form and I look back on that positively.”

“I hope for a consistent year with a run of good results. Now it was one good result and then a few months nothing. It is always difficult to return because you lose your confidence a little.”

With that in mind, Van Gils will restart on Mallorca before moving through a familiar early season block that includes Clasica Jaen, Ruta del Sol, Strade Bianche, Tirreno Adriatico and Milano-Sanremo. The spring then heads towards the Basque Country, the Ardennes triple and Frankfurt.

And for the first time, he expects to share key Ardennes days with Remco Evenepoel. That alone adjusts the ambition.

“If I go to Liege, we aim for the podium. With Remco there you go for the win. That changes the approach.”

Despite often downplaying his affection for three week races, Van Gils made clear that missing out in 2025 changed his outlook entirely. The Tour de France has quietly moved back onto his horizon. “If the spring goes well, the plan is to ride the Tour.”

It is a shift driven by both competitive appetite and a sense of unfinished business. According to Van Gils, the request to take on a Grand Tour again was his initiative.

“You only miss something when you no longer have it,” he said with a grin. “In 2025 I didn't ride a Grand Tour and I specifically asked the team to do one now. They agreed immediately. If I am in good form, I think I can be an added value for the team.”

For Van Gils, the comparison with Mbappe is more than a lighthearted remark. It points to a deeper conviction that one uneven year does not define an athlete. After a stop start introduction to life inside Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, he heads into 2026 intent on discovering the level he only managed in flashes last season. If the early months go to plan, the Tour de France could become the stage where that belief finally takes shape.