Jan Christen to undergo surgery following Milano-Sanremo collarbone fracture

Tadej Pogacar's first Milano-Sanremo victory was one for the ages, but the celebrations at UAE Team Emirates - XRG came with a bitter side note. Jan Christen, one of the team's most promising young riders, crashed out of the race and was later confirmed to have suffered a broken collarbone, the latest in a string of injuries to hit the squad this season.

While the world's attention was on Pogacar's dramatic crash 30 kilometres from the finish, Christen had already been out of the race for much longer. The 21-year-old went down in a separate incident just 55 kilometres into the 298-kilometre race, a crash that was never shown on the TV broadcast and also brought down Venezuelan champion Orluis Aular of Movistar.

Christen had been earmarked as a key climbing domestique for Pogacar, expected to work alongside Isaac del Toro in the crucial moments before the Slovenian's attack. Instead, others had to step up. "We had lost Christen, who broke his collarbone. I saw that Florian and Felix were waiting for me and did great work to bring me back into the group," Pogacar said in his post-race press conference.

An X-ray confirmed the diagnosis, with team doctor Adrian Rotunno releasing an official statement on Sunday morning. "Unfortunately, Jan Christen sustained a left clavicle fracture in his crash at Milano-San Remo. He will undergo surgery in Zurich on Monday before beginning his recovery under supervision of team medical staff."

The timing is particularly cruel for Christen, who had been in excellent form coming into the spring. The Swiss rider had already won the AlUla Tour and finished sixth at Strade Bianche, establishing himself as one of the most exciting young talents in the peloton.

This is also far from the first time UAE Team Emirates has been hit by injury in 2026. Jhonatan Narvaez crashed out of the Tour Down Under with stable compression fractures in the thoracic vertebrae and remains sidelined. Tim Wellens broke his collarbone at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.

Jay Vine, despite winning the Tour Down Under, had to manage a wrist fracture after a collision with a kangaroo on stage five. Both Narvaez and Wellens had been part of the 2025 Milano-Sanremo lineup, forcing the team to rethink their plans entirely for this year's race.