Maxim Van Gils has won the opening stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia, taking his first victory in the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe kit. The Belgian also takes the leader’s jersey.
Maxim Van Gils already had good memories of the Ruta del Sol, having won the time trial last year in a race that could only be completed to a limited extent due to protests by farmers. Now the Belgian has struck again and put the strong competitors in their place in the uphill sprint after a good 160 permanently hilly kilometers at the caves of Nerja.
“It was a hard and pretty hot stage. Everyone was feeling their legs at the end. No team could really control the race. UAE had multiple leaders and they were shooting their shots, so I had to anticipate” said Maxim Van Gils at the finish. “I know Tim well, we rode in a team, so I knew I could beat him in the sprint. And that’s why it was important not to let him go.”
Van Gils not only had to deal with Wellens in the final, but also with his teammate Pavel Sivakov. The trio completed the last big climb of the day together. Van Gils had to fend off the alternating attacks of his rivals, but in the end he didn’t even let a missed corner on the descent stop him.
“It’s incredible what Maxim delivered here. The whole day was up and down, left and right. The adrenaline was always there,” said DS Bernhard Eisel. “The team also rode really well, including our two rookies Luke Tuckwell and Lennart Jasch. We weren’t the big favorites today, but we knew we had a chance. And now it’s turned into a stage win and the leader’s jersey. Let’s see what the next days bring.”
