"That stage is definitely on my mind" - Jan Christen has a target, with Adam Yates leading the way

For the past few seasons, the rivalry between UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Team Visma | Lease a Bike has shaped the battle for the general classification in the sport’s biggest stage races. Yet as the 2026 Giro d'Italia approaches, much of the attention surrounding the Emirati squad revolves around uncertainty rather than dominance.

Despite arriving in Italy with one of the deepest rosters in the race, the team appears determined to avoid the burden of outright favouritism. Both Adam Yates and rising Swiss talent Jan Christen struck a cautious tone during the team presentation, even while acknowledging the quality packed into the UAE lineup.

Yates, who experienced the unpredictability of the Italian Grand Tour first-hand last season, knows better than most how quickly leadership dynamics can shift.

In 2025, he and Juan Ayuso started the race as co-leaders, only for Isaac del Toro to emerge as the revelation of the race and overshadow both established names. Meanwhile, Jay Vine, who had entered the race with similar expectations to Del Toro, disappeared from contention almost immediately in Albania.

That experience has clearly shaped the British climber’s approach this time around.

“It’s going to be a stressful trip through Bulgaria and we mainly want to get through it without damage,” Yates explained to Cyclingnews. “We have a strong team, but we don’t have the outright favourite.”

Rather than seeing that as a weakness, Yates believes it could actually work in UAE Emirates - XRG’s favour over three demanding weeks.

“I actually see that as an advantage, especially because we can assume I’ll lose time in certain stages. I’m mainly thinking about the time trial,” he admitted.

Alongside Yates and Vine, who recently stated he is not targeting the general classification, UAE Emirates - XRG also brings a versatile and dangerous supporting cast including Marc Soler, Mikkel Bjerg, Antonio Morgado, Igor Arrieta, and the returning Jhonatan Narváez, who is back after injury following an impressive previous campaign in the Tour de France.

Still, much of the intrigue surrounding the squad centres on Christen, one of the brightest young talents in the peloton and a rider many believe could thrive in a freer role throughout the race.

The Swiss rider’s preparation for the Giro was disrupted after his crash at Milano-Sanremo earlier this season, an incident that forced him to rethink his entire spring campaign.

“I’m feeling good,” Christen said. “After my crash in Milano-Sanremo, I went back to Switzerland to recover as well as possible. I was able to resume training fairly quickly afterwards and then joined the rest of the team at altitude camp.”

His last race appearance dates back to mid-March, despite an excellent opening part of the season that included victory at the AlUla Tour. The crash not only interrupted his momentum, it also forced him to abandon some of the major goals he had initially targeted for the spring.

“When I crashed in Milano-Sanremo, I immediately realised I wouldn’t be able to ride the Ardennes Classics,” Christen admitted. “That hurt, because those races were originally my main objective this spring.”

At that point, even participating in the Giro was far from guaranteed.

“At first you also don’t know whether you’ll be able to ride the Giro, but fortunately after two weeks I was already fairly sure it would work out,” he continued. “That gave me the motivation to work my way back to top form, and that has gone pretty well.”

Despite the growing hype around his potential, Christen is careful not to place unnecessary pressure on himself ahead of his Grand Tour debut. With João Almeida absent from the UAE lineup, some observers have already suggested the 21-year-old could emerge in a similar way to Del Toro last year. Christen, however, is not getting carried away.

“What my role is? We have a strong GC team here and I definitely want to help them in the decisive stages, but in some stages I’ll also get the freedom to chase my own opportunities.”

One stage already appears to have captured his imagination. The second day of racing, a punchy parcours expected to suit explosive climbers and puncheurs, could potentially offer an early opportunity to fight for the Maglia Rosa.

“That stage is definitely on my mind, but of course we still have to see what the team plan will be for that day,” he said.

For now, Christen insists the overall classification is not part of his ambitions in this year’s race.

“I’m definitely not going for the GC, but if the team allows me to, I’d love to go for a few stage wins and also test myself in the real mountains,” the Swiss youngster explained. “Stage 16 is obviously special, with the finish in Switzerland.”

There is another emotional layer to this Giro for Christen as well. His first appearance in a Grand Tour will also see him sharing the race with his brother, Fabio Christen, who lines up for Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.

“It’s really beautiful that in my first Grand Tour I can race against and alongside my brother Fabio,” Christen concluded.