Joxean Matxin Fernandez He's always had a vision. And when he noticed this young Swiss rider, capable of excelling on any bike he rode, he decided it was time to invest. Jan Christen is not just any rider: he is just 18 years old and yet he has already won national titles on the road, on the track, in mountain biking, in cyclocross (where he was also junior world champion). He spoke about it with the UAE Team Emirates and so the Swiss has already been signed until 2027.
An unusual choice even for the particular cycling of today, in the constant search for precocious talents. The team managers had had their eye on Christen for some time, practically since he was a boy, so much so that having made him run in the Pogi Team, sports facility sponsored by Tadej pogacar. However Mauro Gianetti, the team's CEO, thought it best to pour water on troubled waters when announcing his hiring.
UAE has always followed him
"He's a great talent," said Gianetti, "and we believe he has the right attitude and the necessary qualities to be a valuable member of our team. First, he'll focus on completing his studies while gradually progressing as a cyclist. We haven't set a time to take the step towards the professional team, there's no rush.Jan is still very young and we will give him all the support he needs, without putting any pressure on him."
The Swiss is in fact registered for Hagen's Berman Axeon, one of the most acclaimed teams at U23 level, a choice also desired by Matxin who follows him with great attention.
«For me he is one of the best in the world for his age – he explains – he has enormous potential. He's a guy who goes fast everywhere, who can win uphill but who's also fast, although not enough to stand out in bunch sprints. Perhaps this is his only shortcoming."
What struck you about him?
He's one of the new generation, one of those who have no problem getting on any type of bike. Find me someone who can win on the road, on the track, on a mountain bike, in cyclocross… There is no oneAnd that's precisely why I don't want to hear what his ideal specialty might be. The truth is, it's an unanswerable question; only time will tell.
It's surprising that such a long-term investment was made in him...
Each rider needs to be approached differently; there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. When I spoke to him I reminded him of the case of Ayuso, which was raised calmly, making his due passages in the under 23 category through events such as the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de l'Avenir which were fundamental stages. Coming to us right away would not have served his cause., working in a continental team will help him grow.
His road record doesn't include victories...
Be careful not to make this mistake: at his age the results mean nothing. The important thing is to constantly improve your performance and not lose focus when you win. I want to make one thing very clear: at his age, you have to proceed slowly. Racing among the pros does give you experience, but it also risks burning you out.You're up against more experienced people, people you don't know and don't know how they're going. Maybe you'll even do well in a race, finishing 4th, which would be a huge result, but what's the point? Nobody notices, in professional cycling only the winner matters.Competing among peers, growing, and winning is much more important.
Is this why you chose the Hagens Berman Axeon team?
With Axel Merckx We have been working together for years, we are always in contact, I have direct monitoring of the boy through himI immediately thought of him as the perfect person to talk to for this choice.
Do you decide the calendar together?
Axel knows well what we expect from the boy, but then he makes the decisions based on the needs of the team. Not forgetting that Jan also has commitments with the national team, so his schedule is calibrated according to his age and needs. We have the utmost confidence in what his team does.
Christen is still fairly unknown in our area. Can you introduce him?
Born in Aargau 18 years ago, he is a mentally winning rider, fearless and who wants to invest a lot of his life in this activity. But he doesn't just think about cycling: he studies engineering and manages to reconcile sporting activity with studies very well, which he rightly holds dear. He's multilingual and also has a fair amount of technical expertise in all things cycling.
Physically?
He's 6'1" and weighs 135 pounds, a lean build that allows him to excel on a variety of terrain. It doesn't surprise me that he excels in every discipline he does.
Can he be compared to anyone?
Anyone who knows me knows that I never give answers to this question. Every rider is unique, making comparisons would only be to his detriment because the other would be a fully formed rider., who's already won. And then you might say, "Look, that guy's won a lot and he hasn't." And then I look at history: find me a multi-discipline rider like him. I told you: there isn't…
Stage or road racer?
I say that he is definitely built to be a multi-day racer because he is developing great endurance and recovery, but he can also have his say in the one-day classics. It's super complete, but I like to define it as a universe waiting to be explored.
