Matxin: Jan Christen is not yet a general classification rider – He’s not a pure climber

The Giro weekend in Bulgaria was one to quickly forget for UAE Team Emirates XRG. The Emirati squad lost team leader Adam Yates, as well as climbers Jay Vine and Marc Soler, in a massive crash during stage 2. Team manager Joxean Fernández Matxin discussed the team’s Giro performances with AS and already looks ahead to the rest of the season.

In the first days of the Giro, UAE did not have much luck. Even before the race, it was clear that intended leader João Almeida would miss the season’s first Grand Tour, leaving Adam Yates to take over leadership. The Brit, along with Marc Soler and Jay Vine, crashed hard in the second stage, leaving the five remaining teammates without a leader.

Despite this setback, the five remaining riders have performed excellently. Jonathan Narvaez won two stages, and Igor Arrieta also claimed victory after a wild finale against Afonso Eulálio. Matxin is proud of his riders. “The unfortunate situation gave the others opportunities, and they seized them to the fullest—first by getting into breakaways and then pushing for victory from there.”

The UAE team manager sees further chances for his squad. “There are still several good days ahead.” However, he does not see a GC challenge with Arrieta or Jan Christen. “I believe that if you are no longer contesting the top 5 or the podium, winning a stage becomes more important.”

Jan Christen initially tried to stay competitive in the early stages but faded on Blockhaus. In stage 9, he lost 24 minutes, effectively abandoning any GC ambitions. “It’s his first Grand Tour. The most important thing is that he keeps improving. He’s also not a pure climber who can compete for the overall,” Matxin explained.

After the Giro, the team will refocus on winning the Tour de France with Tadej Pogacar. Regarding a possible Vuelta participation for the Slovenian, Matxin is clear: “The Tour comes first. Based on that, we’ll decide how the rest of the season unfolds.”

In the Tour, the world champion will face 19-year-old Paul Seixas. Matxin admitted he would not have sent Seixas straight to the Tour. Speaking to Domestique. “From my experience with riders like Ayuso, Tadej, and Del Toro, it seems better to ride another Grand Tour first. Then, when he starts the Tour, he knows what to expect. Everyone eventually makes their own decisions; when we debuted Pogacar in the Vuelta, it wasn’t originally planned either.”

Still, Matxin is excited about Seixas’ participation. “He is a very important challenger, but both we and he need to see how far he can go. So far, the longest stage race he has ridden is last year’s Tour de l’Avenir, where he did very well. We’ll see how far such a talented young rider can go in the Tour. Top riders are becoming younger anyway,” he concluded.