"I wanted to throw up on the bike" - Jan Christen battles through illness to take bronze in U23 World Championship time trial
CyclingTuesday, 24 September 2024 at 17:00
In Monday's under 23 World Championship time trial, Switzerland's Jan Christen took a very creditable bronze medal in front of his home fans in Zürich.
As it turned out, Christen needed all the support from those Swiss supporters as the 20-year-old of UAE Team Emirates battled not only against the clock and against his rivals, but also through illness that made the young talent feel far from his best level. "Maybe I ate something wrong, I don't know," he says in conversation with Blick afterwards. "I wanted to throw up on the bike."
The pain could be seen clearly etched all over Christen as he crossed the finish line and collapsed onto the tarmac completely exhausted and having emptied his entire tank in the quest for the Rainbow Jersey. "When you're so tense and can't breathe properly, things like this can happen," notes Swiss national coach Bruno Diethelm.
With Christen sat in third as pre-race favourite Alec Segaert neared the finale, things began to get nervous in the tent. "I was extremely tense, but I noticed that his legs were getting heavier and heavier," says Christen honestly. "I was shaking, but now I'm overjoyed."
The 20-year-old will now have to refocus and recalibrate his goals before the upcoming under 23 road race in Zürich, where another Rainbow Jersey will be on the line. "I'm even happier that I now have a medal in my pocket. I have nothing to lose on Friday, I'm going to attack fully," he concludes.
| 1 | ROMEO Iván | Spain | 36.42,70 |
| 2 | SÖDERQVIST Jakob | Sweden | 0.32,05 |
| 3 | CHRISTEN Jan | Switzerland | 0.40,68 |
| 4 | SEGAERT Alec | Belgium | 0.54,09 |
| 5 | ORINS Robin | Belgium | 0.57,87 |
| 6 | RAFFERTY Darren | Ireland | 1.01,52 |
| 7 | BEHRENS Niklas | Germany | 1.08,23 |
| 8 | SHMIDT Artem | United States | 1.10,04 |
| 9 | MOURIS Wessel | Netherlands | 1.11,43 |
| 10 | RAFFERTY Adam | Ireland | 1.17,67 |
| 11 | DECOMBLE Maxime | France | 1.17,87 |
| 12 | DEL TORO Isaac | Mexico | 1.23,83 |
| 13 | RACCAGNI NOVIERO Andrea | Italy | 1.32,06 |
| 14 | EDDY Patrick | Australia | 1.35,41 |
| 15 | BLAISE Arthur | France | 1.36,69 |
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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