“I was very surprised that he attacked” - Controversy brews at UAE Team Emirates - XRG after Jan Christen’s surprise attack at Tour de Suisse
Cycling
Stage 2 of the 2025 Tour de
Suisse delivered more than just racing drama, it exposed internal tensions
within UAE Team Emirates - XRG after Jan Christen launched an unexpected attack
just 2.7 kilometres from the finish. While the move was exciting for viewers,
it did not lead to victory, and has instead drawn sharp criticism from within
his own team.
"I was very surprised that he attacked,” said Danish teammate Mikkel Bjerg, speaking to TV 2 Sport. The former U23 time trial world champion did not hold back. “It’s good to see he’s got good legs. It’s a shame he still doesn’t understand how to help the rest of the team, but that’s how it is.”
Jan Christen has 2 victories in 2025
Bjerg’s frustration sparked
immediate debate among TV 2 pundits, with former pro Lars Bak calling
the situation “a big mess.” Bak added that Christen’s questionable
decision-making didn’t start with his late-stage move. “I know he crashed on
Sunday, but he finished in the same group as João Almeida. It looks like he
could have sacrificed more. But he clearly didn’t.”
Veteran Danish commentator Rolf
Sørensen echoed the criticism, placing blame not on Christen but on Bjerg
himself: “It’s a big mess on Bjerg’s part.”
The team’s cohesion had already
come into question after Stage 1, when Christen and his teammates were unable
to respond as a 28-man breakaway, including key GC names like Ben O’Connor,
Kévin Vauquelin and Lorenzo Fortunato, gained decisive time. Romain Grégoire
took the win, and the general classification was left badly scattered.
Christen’s attack on Stage 2,
then, didn’t just go against team expectations, it exposed the fragile dynamics
within UAE’s second-tier squad at a WorldTour race, where stakes and scrutiny
are high.
The timing of the controversy is
made even more complicated by Christen’s personal situation. Before the second
stage, the young Swiss rider gave a raw and emotional interview to Blick,
admitting he was still psychologically shaken after crashing on Stage 1. “I’m
morally destroyed,” he confessed.
According to fellow Swiss rider
Silvan Dillier, Christen even considered abandoning the race after the
incident. Dillier persuaded him to stay, but during Stage 2, Christen was still
visibly suffering, requiring treatment from the medical car mid-stage.
Everything pointed to a subdued
day in the saddle. Instead, Christen defied expectations with a late attack,
earning no result but stirring plenty of internal discontent. This is not what
Joao Almeida needs if he is to recover time and win this race.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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