ProTeam Maxim Van Gils concludes Tour of Oman 6th overall

Lotto Dstny rider Maxim Van Gils has concluded the five-day Tour of Oman (UCI 2.Pro) on a solid sixth place in the general classification. The 23-year-old Belgian climbed his way to 5th on the closing stage with a summit finish on the steep Green Mountain, which eventually delivered Van Gils a sixth place overall. With four top ten spots in five days of racing at the Tour of Oman, Van Gils can look back on a more than successful start to his season.

Maxim Van Gils: “Today was the toughest stage of them all and I was a bit scared to be honest, as such steep long climbs are usually not really my cup of tea. The pace was incredibly high from the bottom of the climb and when Taaramäe accelerated, I had no immediate reaction. I focused on my own pace and could keep the front group in sight. Just before the finish, Ulissi came back and I had to give up one place on GC, but with four top ten spots at the Tour of Oman and a sixth overall, I can’t really complain.”

“It only is a pity that I couldn’t put the cherry on the cake this week. I came close with a second place but these consistent performances show that I’m in good shape. I took some more steps after the Lotto Dstny team camp to perform well here and I’m glad the work paid off. I also need to thank my teammates for this week, they always protected me really well and brought me in perfect position on the climbs.”

After his stage and overall victory at the Saudi Tour last year, Maxim Van Gils again delivers a nice performance in the Middle East.

“I still rank the things what I showed here a bit higher than winning the Saudi Tour. Tour of Oman is a higher level of racing and most importantly: I feel that I made some good progression in my climbing abilities, something I sometimes struggled with in the past seasons. The way of racing – with a relatively calm start and an explosive final – really suits me and that is why I perform well in these races, I think. Of course, I want to continue this way, starting with the two French one-day races Faun-Ardèche and Drôme Classic. Soon after, there’s the biggest goal so far: Strade Bianche. I really look forward to racing the Tuscan gravel roads”, concludes the 23-year-old Belgian.

Images: Photo News - Vincent Kalut.