Date: 10 March 2023
The 2023 signing season was one of the team’s biggest and included the 2022 Cyclocross Junior World Champion, Jan Christen.
“I'm super happy to join Axeon to ride with riders from other countries and make new friends,” said Jan. “For me, Hagens Berman Axeon is the best place to develop and gain the experience I will need in the future. I can't wait to start the season.”
Jan’s accomplishments on the bike span nearly all disciplines. In addition to his world title, he is also the Junior Mountain Bike Vice World Champion, European Junior Road Champion, and a 4-time Swiss national champion in the individual time trial, mountain bike, cyclocross, and track. Jan won the general classification at the 2022 Nations Cup Tour du Pays du Vaud and ended the season just off the podium in the time trial at the Junior World Championships in Wollongong, Australia.
The 18-year-old from Gippingen, Switzerland considers himself an unpredictable rider, one that “can win all types of races, whether flat or with climbs or big mountains,” he said. “I love hard races and attacking often. I love to search my limit and to make the other riders suffer. But mostly I like steep climbs.”
For the upcoming season, Jan hopes to gain more experience and develop as a rider, both on and off the bike. “I want to prepare perfectly to take the step into the World Tour (with UAE Team Emirates) after the Tour de L'Avenir,” he said. “The main goals for next season are some classics in the beginning of the year and then to be in top shape for the Giro U23 and Tour de L'Avenir.”
“I’m super excited to get Jan on the team as he’s a huge talent coming from Tadej Pogačar’s junior team (Pogi Team),” said owner and director Axel Merckx. “I saw him win the Cyclocross World Championships earlier this year and I really liked his temperament and way of racing. He got my attention right away so I got in touch with him pretty fast. In the end, I’m glad he decided to come race with us.”
