Jan Christen (UAE Team Emirates XRG) has raised eyebrows for his conduct for the second time this season and now the young Swiss star has paid for his antics with a disqualification at Clásica Jaén (1.1) in Spain.
In the sprint for 2nd place - behind solo winner Tim Wellsn (UAE Team Emirates XRG) - Christen ran Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) across the road, from right to left. And when he reached the left side of the road along the barriers, he nudged Van Gils, causing him to crash heavily.
Tom Pidock (Pinarello Q36.5) won the three-up sprint from Christen, as a stunned Van Giles - no saint himself in the past - tried to pick himself up from the tarmac after what was a very heavy fall.
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Christen crossed the line 3rd but was disqualified, with his moves today following on from some questionable conduct at the recent UAE Tour. On stage 2 there he suffered a 20-second time penalty after holding on to a team car on his way back after a puncture.
However, he also manhandled his bike, over another crashed rider, when he first got going after his spill. And as he was getting back on, he slapped another rider on the hip so he could pass. Though all of that made him unpopular, at least on social media, he went on to win the final stage and the overall.
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And even though he was disqualified today, his team mate Benoît Cosnefroy arrived at the finish 4th, meaning he was then bumped up one place, ensuring the team took a 1-3. Wellens won the race, with gravel, by going clear with Mark O'Donovan (Pinarello Q36.5) with 54km to go before dropping him on the gravel.
Ireland's Leo Doyle (Meridian Racing p/b de la Uz) was also in action today, though he was among a very large number of non-finishers - some 40 riders not completing the full race.
El movimiento de Jan Christen en el esprint de @ClasicaJaen que acaba con la dura caída de Maxim van Gils.#LaCasaDelCiclismo pic.twitter.com/SM0BbUX8MH
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) February 16, 2026
