“They removed a piece from my nose” – Maxim van Gils hopeful off-season operation will unlock career-best form in 2026 alongside new teammate Remco Evenepoel

After a season he openly admits was “not the easiest”, Maxim van Gils is banking on a small but significant off-season operation to help him reset and finally show his true level in 2026.

The Belgian underwent nasal surgery following a year repeatedly disrupted by illness, crashes and allergy flare-ups — a run so brutal it saw him tumble from 14th to 180th in the UCI World Ranking. “They removed a piece from my nose,” he explained in conversation with Sporza. “That will help me next season.”

For a rider who has watched whole blocks of form dissolve under colds, infections and breathing issues, the procedure represents both a medical fix and a psychological turning point.

Van Gils’ debut season at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe never found rhythm. A late transfer meant he missed early team integration: “I had missed the team days, so I didn’t know everyone at that first camp. It was a bit difficult and I needed an adaptation period.”

Even when early results came — including a stage win at the Vuelta a Andalucia — his year quickly unravelled. His pollen allergy flared, a heavy crash at the Amstel Gold Race left him riding through the Ardennes in pain, and a run of repeated illness in the summer destroyed what remained of his momentum.

“In the summer I got sick twice around the Renewi Tour. When I got ill again after the Bretagne Classic, I never got back into form.”

With the operation now behind him and the team environment fully understood, Van Gils feels confident that the worst is behind him. “By now I know the team. I think and hope next year will go better.”

His ambitions for 2026 are clear and, importantly, realistic: “I want to be good from the beginning and perform consistently. I also want to ride a Grand Tour,” he said, noting last season’s failure to make one of the three big startlists.

The arrival of fellow Belgian superstar Remco Evenepoel is another source of motivation rather than intimidation. Van Gils believes the team’s depth will only elevate the new signing’s ceiling — and his own.

“In every race we can line up a very strong team, so Remco will always be very well surrounded,” he said. “It’s always nice going to a race with Remco because you have a better chance of winning. Remco is a winner and is not happy with second place. That makes him a fantastic rider.”

The interview finished on a lighter note: the origin story of his increasingly common nickname in the peloton.

“During some lunch, my teammate Giulio Pellizzari started calling me Cris. I replied: ‘What is it, Yamal?’” Van Gils laughed. “Since then they’ve been calling me Cris (Cristiano Ronaldo) and Pellizzari Yamal because he’s so young. It’s funny.”

After a year full of frustration, injury and illness, Van Gils heads into 2026 with something he hasn’t had for a long time: a clean slate — and a nose that finally works in his favour.