Flèche Wallonne turns into a nightmare for Maxim Van Gils after Amstel crash: "I’ve never felt pain like this"

"How was my back? Not so good, actually," said a tired Van Gils honestly after crossing the finish line. Before the race, the Belgian doubted whether he should start in the Flèche Wallonne, but he decided to go ahead with the 200-kilometer ride anyway. "I've never had so much pain in my legs as I did today. "I'm not doing well at the moment."

And then there was the rain and cold during the classic race on Walloon soil. "Yes, I was cold. But it was mainly my legs that hurt a lot during the race. Every time I got out of the saddle, my tailbone hurt. I started pedaling differently, but yeah..."

Van Gils has not yet fully recovered from his crash in the Amstel. "Yesterday, the plan was not to start. In the end, I did finish the race, but last year I was third, and now I was one of the last ones. That's not very nice, of course."

This Sunday, Van Gils was also scheduled to start in the monument Liège-Bastogne-Liège, a top goal for the rider. His participation there remains a question mark, he says. "Look, I feel better than yesterday, but there's still much to do before Sunday."

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Tadej Pogacar once again proved to be the strongest. Behind him, Ben Healy crossed the finish line in fifth place. "I'm not the most explosive, so if I can stay with them for as long as possible, it's better for me. I kept the same pace until the top. Tadej went, and I don't think anyone came close to following him. Going so early is something he likes to do. For him, he went quite late." (Laughs)

The Irish rider was satisfied with a top-five finish, he told Eurosport. "Honestly, I didn't expect to be in this form. I'm pretty happy with fifth place." Healy also achieved a good result in the Amstel Gold Race, finishing tenth in the hills of South Limburg.

Lenny Martinez crossed the finish line in fourth place, just ahead of Healy. "I wasn't at my best all day. I've seen so many videos of riders getting stuck in the last 100 to 200 meters that I wanted to conserve some energy. I think I saved a little too much. Maybe I should have gone with Pidcock; I might have been on the podium. Maybe not, though. At the end of the day, fourth place is good, but it's a bit of a disappointment that it's the first place after the podium."

So, a podium finish might have been possible for the Frenchman from Bahrain-Victorious. "When Tadej went, I focused on myself and did my best to give it everything. I didn't even see him. (Laughs) I wasn't in top form during the day but was at the end, so that's okay. It's not bad. I'm not on the list for Liège, but we'll see. That might change if I feel good, but we'll see, I don't know."