"There are not many riders who can win in the Tour, so I want to go for it" - Maxim van Gils targeting the first Maillot Jaune of 2024 Tour de France
Cycling
The time has come and later today, the 2024 Tour de France gets underway in Florence. Starting with a stage full of potential for immediate drama, one man taking to the Grand Depart full of optimism is Lotto Dstny's Maxim van Gils.
On his Tour de France debut in 2023, van Gils came close to a stage win, finishing second on stage 13 atop the mythical slopes of Grand Colombier. “I came second, but there is a big difference between winning or coming second in the Tour," the 24-year-old Belgian assesses in conversation with Wielerflits. "There are not many riders who can win in the Tour, so I want to go for it. With the whole team, by the way. The goal is to win, and whether that is with myself or another rider, it is always very nice.”
As mentioned, the drama immediately comes straight away on the opening weekend, with van Gils targeting an early Maillot Jaune. “I like the first two stages the best of the entire race," he admits. "It reminds me a bit of the Ardennes. The climbs are not too long, nor too steep. That's something I like. Everything is possible. It's just a pity that the finish of the second stage after the San Lucca climb runs downwards. I prefer it to be slightly uphill or flatter.”
"I think my form is good, I had a pretty good Tour de Suisse. I did a few good training sessions after that, but no Belgian Championship. I don't know if I really had a cold, but it would have been better to skip that race, otherwise I might have gotten even more tired and sick. I feel good in training and I was able to do everything I wanted," continues van Gils. "In retrospect, I had a good chance of winning in La Fleche Wallonne, I had good legs in the final. Maybe I still have to get a bit stronger to win that big race. Hopefully I can do that in the Tour de France.”
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Tour de France 2024: The Build Up ✨🎥 🍿 Watch the full video on our Youtube channel! youtube.com/watch?v=EogLzD… Video: VanVid
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