The Swiss rider Jan Christen became today the under-19 European road race champion, winning the competition in Anadia, Portugal, at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. The extreme temperature caused the race to be cut short by one lap, covering 103.8 kilometres instead of the 125.9 planned.
An escape by Portuguese Daniel Lima, Frenchman Noa Isidore and Danish Henrik Breiner Pedersen took place with about half the distance covered, but it succumbed to the many stretches that took place in the peloton, driven by candidates for the victory, at the entrance to the penultimate lap.
Of these moves a trio formed by Jan Christen, the Norwegian Jørgen Nordhagen and Léo Bisiaux would stand out. The trio isolated itself at the entrance of the penultimate lap and remained united until close to the final ten kilometres. The first to give way would be the Frenchman. Facing opposition from Jørgen Nordhagen, the Swiss rider launched an attack in the last five kilometres, which allowed him to win the race alone.
Jan Christen, who has a contract with UAE Team Emirates until 2027, reached the finish line alone, with a time of 2h42m10s. Jørgen Nordhagen crossed the line 19 seconds later. It was necessary to wait 2m02s for the arrival of Léo Bisiaux.
The first chasing group arrived 2m33s after the winner.
The European Road Championships finish this Sunday with the under-23 cross-country races. At 10:00 am the start will be given for the 104.5 kilometres of the women’s race. The men start at 2:00 pm and have 147.3 kilometres to go.
