“Oliveira touched me and that stopped me from sprinting to the line” – Christen explains Oliveira’s Tour of Slovenia penalty
Cycling
Fabio Christen delivered a dramatic victory on Stage 2 of
the 2025 Tour of Slovenia, securing Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team’s tenth win of the
season after initial winner Rui Oliveira was relegated for a controversial
sprint infringement.
The stage concluded with a tight sprint from a lead group of
seven, with Christen originally crossing the line second behind Oliveira.
However, following a protest and video review, the UAE Team Emirates rider was
penalised for a slight deviation from his line, which the jury ruled impeded
Christen in the final metres. As a result, Christen was promoted to stage
winner and also took over the race lead.
“I went in the break for the KoM points and I wasn’t even
planning on going for the race lead in the Tour of Slovenia at all,” Christen
revealed in a team press release. “The goal here was to go for a stage win, and
then prepare for my main goal at the Tour de Suisse. The stage win worked and
now I will try to see what’s possible—but stage 4 is really hard and I
shouldn’t kill myself either.”
Q36.5 had numbers in the decisive move, with Christen
crediting the collective effort: “We were with five riders and there weren’t a
lot of teams with numbers up there so that’s really good. The plan was to go
for the sprint with Nicoló, but then Sjoerd attacked just before the climb and
I jumped across. I started my sprint early because I was in the wind. In the
final, Oliveira touched me and that stopped me from sprinting to the line.”
Despite the tension around the result, Christen remained
focused on the road ahead, “Tomorrow’s final also suits me well. But we must
see how the race plays out. Every day has been surprising so far, so let’s see
how tomorrow goes.”
Team sports director Alex Sans Vega praised the squad’s
adaptability during a chaotic day of racing. “We knew today’s stage well
because it was very similar to previous years. There were two options: a sprint
stage like yesterday or it goes bananas. It went bananas,” he said with a
smile.
“When the race leader Dylan Groenewegen got dropped on the
climb, the scenario changed and we decided to race for it. Fabio was there for
us, securing bonus seconds and King of the Mountains points. It was impressive
teamwork with Calzoni, Bax, Parisini and Camprubí all with Fabio in the final
30 kilometres. Bax and Fabio then decided the race for it.”
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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