• Swiss teenager pens long-term deal with Emirati squad •
UAE Team Emirates have agreed a deal with 17-year old Jan Christen who will develop within the UAE team structure until at least 2027.
Christen hails from Aargau, Switzerland and has tasted his fair share of success in his short career so far, with National titles across several categories both on the road and off-road. He is the Swiss champion on the track, in cyclo-cross, time trial and also in the mountain bike discipline. He is also the current Junior World Cyclocross Champion which he won in Fayetteville, USA.
Christen already has strong ties to the Emirati squad and currently competes within the structure of Tadej Pogačar through the ‘Pogi Team’, where he will continue to race and develop, with the aim to make the step-up to the professional team in the coming years.
The purpose of the ‘Pogi Team’ is around developing young men into upstanding members of society, as well as having fun on the bike. The team already has more than 150 riders, and the recent sponsorship by the UAE means that Pogi Team has the opportunity to further grow within the sport. Pogi Team will act as a feeder / scouting program across Slovenia and Europe, further broadening UAE Team Emirates’ talent pool and opportunities afforded to aspiring cyclists.
Mauro Gianetti (Team Principal & CEO) : “We are 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. 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.
Jan comes from a good family who I have known for many years and has a great coach and mentor in Bruno Diethelm who we will continue to work closely with. We want to see him continue to develop both as a rider and as a person.”
Jan Christen: “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.
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.”
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