Maxim Van Gils is at the European championships in Slovenia with one T-shirt and no toothbrush. His suitcase stayed in Brussels, he told VTM Nieuws. I read that in the van, phone resting on the workstand.
I put the case on the stand. Piece by piece.
The backpack: the Belgian team kit was in it, and it reached Ljubljana with him. That’s a good build. The jersey travels with the rider, not in the hold. I’ll say nothing else, it’s fair.
The suitcase: wash bag and recovery food. Left in Belgium. He says he can race anyway. I believe him, mind you. A rider with no toothbrush still rolls. A bike with no chain, no.
The spare part: Remco Evenepoel lent him a T-shirt. The T-shirt, yes. The toothbrush, no. “Remco didn’t think that was a good idea,” Van Gils told VTM Nieuws. He’s right, Remco. I don’t lend mine either. The one for teeth, I mean. The one for the cassette, even less: it’s the only one that gets into the small sprockets.
The repair: he went to the local supermarket to buy deodorant and a toothbrush. A fix on the spot, with whatever you can find. It’s what I do on Sundays when a brake pad is missing and the village has only a hardware shop.
I always keep a toothbrush in my bag. With the bag, we can talk.
That leaves the appeal. Via VTM Nieuws, he asked Brussels Airlines to send him his suitcase, “please”, he said it. Polite. Alright?
Me, I’m going to put a new brush in the tray of the van. One for the teeth, one for the chain. Labelled.
It’s true, we checked: HLN.
