Just four months after one of the most difficult moments of his career, Maxim Van Gils has returned to victory by winning the sixth stage at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider triumphed in the first true mountain stage of the French race, demonstrating that he has fully regained his form and confidence after the pelvic fracture he suffered at the start of the season. "This is one of the most beautiful days of my career – Van Gils said happily – Everyone saw how serious my accident was. I had two choices: feel sorry for myself or recover quickly. I chose the second option. I stayed positive and continued to train hard".

The stage saw a breakaway composed of approximately 60 riders get away from the start. Van Gils was among the protagonists, managing his energy well before launching decisive attacks on the final climbs.

It was the Belgian himself who animated the race on the penultimate ascent, significantly reducing the group of breakaway riders. On the final climb towards the Côte de Crest-Voland, which is 5.9 kilometers long with an average gradient of 7.5%, Van Gils accelerated again five kilometers from the finish. Only Tobias Halland Johannessen and Pablo Torres initially managed to respond to his pace, before the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider completed the job and secured a victory with great personal significance.

The success takes on even greater importance considering the long recovery process he has undertaken over the past few months. After the pelvic fracture that had compromised the first part of the season, Van Gils worked intensively to return to competitive form at the highest level.

"It's fantastic to be back at this level after everything I've been through in recent months – Van Gils said at the end of the stage – After the accident and rehabilitation, it wasn't certain that I would quickly regain my best sensations. Winning such a demanding stage gives me enormous confidence for the rest of the season".

The perfect day for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe was completed by the conquest of the yellow jersey by young Australian Luke Tuckwell, who was also a protagonist in the breakaway.

Behind the breakaway riders, the battle for the general classification provided the first important signals. Frenchman Paul Seixas, a great hope of French cycling, launched the first attack among the favorites, managing to make a selection alongside Isaac Del Toro and Matteo Jorgenson. The move had significant consequences for the race leadership as well, with Jorgenson losing valuable ground and the leader's jersey.

For Van Gils, winning today also has personal value: "The fact that I won precisely in this region makes the victory even more special, because my girlfriend is from here. Today we raced on many roads where I usually train when I'm with her. I don't get emotional easily, but now I do a bit. This victory means a lot to me".

For Van Gils, however, the real victory goes beyond the sporting result. After difficult months, the Belgian has demonstrated that he has returned as a protagonist in international cycling, sending a strong signal ahead of the upcoming appointments of the season.