“There's no need to be mad – he sent me a message on social media” – Maxim Van Gils forgives Jan Christen after crash controversy

Maxim Van Gils has moved to calm the storm surrounding the sprint crash that ended his Clasica Jaen campaign, confirming that he holds no anger towards Jan Christen and that the two have already been in contact.

Speaking in an interview published by Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, Van Gils addressed both the incident itself and the fallout that followed, including Christen’s disqualification and the online debate that erupted in the days after.

“There's no need to be mad with Christen either,” Van Gils said in the team interview. “He wants to win races just as much as I do. He was very motivated. I know the feeling of coming into the final and fighting for the podium. That's what we train for every day.”

He also confirmed that Christen reached out privately after the race. “The night after the incident, he sent me a message on social media. I replied to him, and it was okay with that. I think he felt bad too, and didn't want something like that to happen.”

The incident occurred 150 metres from the finish during a three-rider sprint for the podium. Van Gils described the tense dynamics of the run-in, shaped by a slight tailwind and downhill gradient.

“When the three of us came onto the home straight, nobody really wanted to make the first move because there was a bit of a tailwind and it was also slightly downhill. So you really needed the perfect moment. Then Pidcock tried it on the left. I reacted. Christen then came from the right and maybe a bit closer than he needed. But that's the way it is in cycling. Things like that happen. Especially when you've been riding on gravel for four hours.”

He went on to detail the contact that sent him into the barriers. “At that moment, I got a little knock from Christen on my handlebars. I tipped into the barrier, which probably broke my bike, and then I flew off over the handlebars.”

While the jury swiftly disqualified Christen for deviating in the sprint, the physical consequences proved far more severe. Initial medical assessments confirmed a pelvic fracture. Further scans later revealed a broken shoulder that will require surgery, ruling Van Gils out for several months.

“And then someone from the team came to me and said that my hip was broken … The clocks stopped ticking for a moment.”

Christen himself later issued a public apology, stating that he “would never put any other rider in harm like that on purpose” and explaining that he had jumped for the slipstream and did not see Van Gils coming on the inside.

Van Gils’ tone in contrast to the intensity of the debate, has been striking. Rather than escalating the controversy, he framed the crash within the realities of racing at speed. “But that's the way it is in cycling,” he said. “Everyone wanted to get to the finish line as quickly as possible.”

Despite the double fracture and the immediate end to his spring ambitions, the Belgian insisted he has not written off the season. “It’s only weeks until I can get back on the bike,” he said. “Of course not! It’s only just begun.”

For now, however, the focus remains on recovery. With surgery ahead and key races already off the calendar, Van Gils’ measured response has shifted the narrative from blame to resilience, and, notably, to reconciliation.