Former sprinter clears Jan Christen of blame after controversial sprint in Clásica Jaén

Tim Wellens won the Clásica Jaén in impressive style on Monday, but afterwards the focus was mainly on the sprint for the remaining podium places and the clash between Jan Christen and Maxim Van Gils. The latter crashed heavily due to a maneuver by the Swiss rider, but according to former sprinter Sacha Modolo, Christen is not to blame at all.

However, footage shows how the young UAE Emirates rider, Christen, deviates from his line in the sprint and thus makes slight contact with Van Gils. The Belgian is momentarily unbalanced, hits the barriers, and then crashes at high speed.

Van Gils, who rides for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, remained on the asphalt for some time afterwards. The medical verdict is severe: Van Gils suffered a pelvic fracture and will be out of action for the coming months. Christen, meanwhile, crossed the line in third place, but the jury decided to disqualify the Swiss rider after the race due to an ‘irregular sprint’.

The now-retired Modolo – who during his career rode for teams such as Lampre-Merida, EF Education First, and Alpecin-Fenix – however does not understand the decision of the race jury. “A rider (referring to Tom Pidcock, ed.) starts sprinting close to the barriers. Jan Christen then looks at him and moves to the left to get into this rider’s slipstream,” the Italian explained on Instagram.

The opinion of a former sprinter Sacha Modolo on yesterday’s incident. pic.twitter.com/jAOMYsuxal

— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) February 17, 2026

“He does not do this to hinder another rider,” Modolo believes. “The following rider (Maxim Van Gils, ed.) knows that because of this dynamic he will be riding alongside the barriers and thus has no more space, but he chooses not to anticipate. He then touches the back of Jan. Honestly, he also falls a bit naively. But is that Christen’s fault?”

The two-time Giro d’Italia stage winner then speaks out clearly. “If such a maneuver is already enough for a disqualification, it would be better to change the rules in cycling. Like in triathlon, where drafting is forbidden, or as in swimming, where everyone must stay in their own lane ten kilometers before the finish.”

Watch the much-discussed sprint again here:

🚴🇪🇸 | Tim Wellens is once again early in form. He completes an impressive solo successfully and wins the Clásica Jaén. In the background, things go badly wrong during the chasing sprint of Maxim van Gils. #ClasicaJaen 🇧🇪

Cycling 👀 HBO Max pic.twitter.com/IkIuyfxZZa

— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) February 16, 2026