‘The clocks stopped ticking for a moment… but there’s no need to be mad with Christen’ – Maxim Van Gils forgives after breaking shoulder and pelvis in crash

Belgian rider Maxim Van Gils has said there is “no need to be mad with [Jan] Christen” despite breaking his shoulder and pelvis in a crash at the Clásica Jaén on Monday, which Christen caused.

The Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe rider came down in the final meters of the Spanish one-day race, as he opened his sprint for second place against Tom Pidcock (Pinarello-Q36.5) and Christen (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). Christen was later disqualified by the commissaires, having appeared to deviate to the left, veering towards the barriers and across Van Gils’s line.