Jan Christen is not rewarded for a strong performance. The jury disqualified him (archive photo)
Keystone
Jan Christen initially finished 3rd in the Europe Tour one-day race “Clasica Jaen” in Ubeda, Spain, but was then disqualified.
After the three-kilometre final climb with a 150-metre difference in altitude, the rider from Aargau crossed the finish line in second and third place at the same time as Olympic mountain bike champion Thomas Pidcock. However, the Swiss rider pushed Maxim Van Gils into the barriers in the final sprint, causing the Belgian to fall. Van Gils remained on the ground for a long time, but made it to the team bus on his own, according to the team.
Christen’s UAE teammate Tim Wellens had already pulled away at the front 60 km from the finish. Pidcock, Christen and Van Gils reduced the gap to 20 seconds, after which the tactics began.