Jan Christen, the 17-year-old junior world cyclocross champion, has been signed by UAE Team Emirates for five years. The contract will see him remaining at the top tier squad until at least the end of the 2027 season.
Christen, who turns 18 years at the end of next month, has won Swiss titles in the road race and TT as well as in cyclocross, MTB and on the track. He was 7th in the TT at the Worlds last year and at the Europeans finished 6th in the TT - two places behind Ireland's Darren Rafferty - and 12th in the road race.
He is already part of 'Pogi Team', which is a youth squad founded by Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar and sponsored by UAE Team Emirates. The Swiss rider will gradually step up from 'Pogi Team' to UAE Team Emirates "in the coming years".
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Mauro Gianetti, UAE Team Emirates team principal and chief executive, said he was "very excited and pleased to welcome Jan" into the team.
"He is a huge talent and we believe he has the right attitude and qualities to fit very well in our team," Gianetti said. "He will first focus on completing his studies and progressing gradually through to the professional ranks.
"We have no fixed time-frame for this step and it is something we will not rush. Jan is still very young and we will be giving him all the help he needs and keep the pressure off his young shoulders."
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Christen's move to UAE Team Emirates was not unexpected as he is part of 'Pogi Team' and has already trained with the World Tour squad. His agreeing to ride for the team for the next five years continues the trend of World Tour teams reaching in the junior ranks in a bid to find, and sign, the next big stars.
“I am thrilled to be signing with UAE Team Emirates. I’ve already had quite a lot of contact with the team and from the first moment everyone has been very friendly and welcoming," Christen said.
"I would say I’m quite an all-round rider, I enjoy all disciplines and love testing myself whether it’s on the road, track or off-road. Both CX and mountain biking are very close to my heart and I hope to continue combining them over the coming years with the team. My first goal is to just keep enjoying my cycling and keep learning and progressing. At UAE I feel like I’m at the right place to do that.”
