We knew his register of puncher-roller-climber on which he had relied to obtain a 3rd place on terrains as different as the Strade Bianche And the Walloon Arrow. By placing 4th in Liège-Bastogne-Liège on the heels of Mathieu van der Poel, he also showed undeniable sprinting qualities. He confirmed them on Sunday by climbing onto the podium of the Famenne Ardenne Classic alongside Arnaud De Lie, with whom he shares leadership of the Belgian team. For all these reasons, the one who had emerged at the highest level by winning the Saudi Tour in 2022 arrived, this Wednesday, at the start of the Eschborn-Frankfurt classic with the status of candidate for victory. At the end of a sprint carried out brilliantly, he won his first bouquet in a one-day WorldTour race. “I surprised myself a little in the sprint. I think I managed it perfectly”said the man who only really launched his effort 250 meters from the finish line where he was ahead of the Spaniard from Movistar, Alex Aranburu.
And yet, the day hadn't started very well for the baby-faced blond. “I didn't have very good feelings. But my teammates told me that they would ride for me because they believed in me. I can only thank them.”
Great level this year
After toughening the race to the point of leaving only the very young and very promising Swiss Jan Christen (19 years old), who arrived in July 2023 at UAE Team Emirates from Hagens Berman Axean, the training team of 'Axel Merckx, Van Gils' teammates left him to fend for himself during the last hour of the race. And he did it like a great, achieving the biggest victory of his career and confirming his excellent start to the season. “It's true that I'm playing at a great level this year. My good results obtained during the Ardennes week convinced me that, when I'm good, I can fight with big arms.” Even though he has only four successes since the start of his career, he can now look them straight in the eye. And we can't wait to see him at the Tour de Suisse (June 9 to 16), the last stop before the Grande Boucle (June 29 to July 21).
