Jan Christen apologizes to Maxim Van Gils: "Unfortunate incident"
Jan Christen crossed the line third on Monday in the Clásica Jaén but was disqualified afterward. In the sprint for second place, he drifted from his line and collided with Maxim Van Gils, who suffered a heavy crash. On Instagram, Christen now addresses the incident.
"A mixed day at the race yesterday at Clásica Jaén," Christen begins. "I’m very happy to be part of the amazing team victory of Tim Wellens, but for me personally it was not the end I had intended after the unfortunate crash close to the finish."
"I wanna apologize to Maxim for today," continues the UAE Emirates XRG rider. "I jumped for the slipstream of Tom when he started the sprint and did not see him coming on my left inside."
‘Unfortunate incident’
"It was an unfortunate incident, which can unfortunately happen in races," Christen says. "What I know for myself is that I would never put any other rider in harm like that on purpose."
"There’s a lot of emotion in my head about the situation, and I just wish from my heart to Maxim a speedy recovery and hope I can compete with him for victory again in the future."
The two won’t meet in the near future. Van Gils’ spring season is over after the crash. The Belgian from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe sustained a pelvic fracture in the fall.
