Christen’s baptism of fire was ‘almost criminal’

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He is probably the most talented of all 148 riders who started the Tour de Romandie: Jan Christen (18). As a junior, the Aargauer became cyclocross world champion, European road champion and second mountain bike world champion. He is under contract with the powerful UAE Emirates team until 2027, but is currently riding for Swiss Cycling and for the first time with the pros. “It’s really cool to get a taste of the World Tour air for the first time.” Blick accompanies Christen all day during the second stage from Morteau (Fr) to La Chaux-de-Fonds NO.

8:58 a.m.: Ragettli book. “Come on in!” sounds from room 1010. During the five days of the tour, Christen will be staying in the Hotel Everness just outside the city of Geneva. The alarm went off 20 minutes ago, he says. “And now I’m going to read a few more pages before breakfast.” In his hand he holds the biography of world freeski champion Andri Ragettli (24). “He’s a role model for me, because he had to go through the bottom and always fight back,” says Christen.

9:34 am: Rice with tomato sauce. At the breakfast buffet, Christen ignores the spaghetti. “I’ve had pasta for the past few days. Now I need a change,” he says with a smile. Christian puts a pile of rice on his plate. There is also tomato sauce, pineapple and orange. “The more I eat now, the less I need afterwards,” he says. The calorie store is full.

10:01am: Froome leaves, Christen arrives. Outside in the driveway, one team bus after another is lined up – each is equipped with a TV, fridge, shower and sofa. The samples cost between 500,000 and 700,000 francs. When four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome (37, GB) disappeared into one of them, Christen, who was 19 years his junior, also came running. “One day I too will be able to win the Tour de France”, he is convinced. First he bakes smaller buns. Instead of a luxury car, he climbs into the club camper. “It doesn’t matter, I’m happy to be here anyway,” he says before the two-hour transfer to Morteau.

12:35 p.m.: Unusual radio. Ex-Pros Michael Albasini (42) and Mathias Frank (36) lead the team meeting in an unadorned parking lot. They are the team leaders and instruct the seven young Swiss (all under 26 years old) for fifteen minutes. “They can give us instructions over the radio during the race,” says Christen. It is not for nothing that the weight of 62 kilos emphasizes this – as a junior he always rode without a button in his ear. “I don’t mind, because that’s how you instinctively drive and listen to your body.”

1:03 p.m.: No half measures. Christen seems shy at the team presentation, raising his hand to greet the audience. The picture is deceptive. Because: Christen is self-confident and ready to give up everything for his dream of becoming a professional cyclist – including the commercial training, which would last until the summer of 2024. «The stress has become so great lately that I could no longer combine sports and teaching. After consultation with my coach and my parents, I decided to focus on cycling.” According to Gippinger, he does not want to do things halfway, but “be successful in what I do”. More than ten minutes later, he starts his third World Tour -contest.

5:25 p.m.: Fast ride. Christen is rarely seen on the 162.7 kilometers to the High Jura. In the final phase, on the climb of the Col de la Tourne (1157 meters above sea level), it has to be broken down. “I had nothing left to drink, my legs closed. That was very annoying,’ he says frustrated. He says about the descents at more than 100 km/h: “There was overtaking on the right and left, it was almost criminal.”

7:50 pm: finally massage. Upon arrival at the hotel, Christen jumps into the shower. A little later he enters the room of physio Remco Broers – the Dutchman massages him. “So that your legs are ready again tomorrow.” At 21.10 we have dinner with the team.

10:30 p.m.: Lights off. “It was a very long day, also because of the long transfers,” says Christen. But he doesn’t want to complain. Christian has exactly the life he hoped for when he was young.

Source : Blick