There were those who had given him up for lost, if not finished. And we're talking about a rider who is only 22 years old. But Cian Uijtdebroeks He's back after taking more than three months off to resolve the back problems that have plagued him since he first arrived in professional cycling. With the victory at Ain Tower he made his first professional appearance. The first of what he hopes will be many and increasingly important.
An undertaking planned for the whole eve
To do this, the Belgian Visma-Lease a Bike He chose the most difficult route, playing all his cards boldly. After the second stage he was in second place, a couple of seconds behind the leader, the Frenchman. Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). It would have been enough to gamble for the win in the final stages of the stage, try to break away with a masterstroke, or even aim for some bonus points. No, Cian aimed for the feat, leaving 50 kilometers from the finish. Because victory wasn't enough, he wanted answers about himself, about his performance, about his ability to suffer, only in this way could he truly... put weeks of pain and doubts behind you.
«I knew it was a risk to start from so far away – he said at the end of the race DirectVelo – but that was my plan and I had it planned the day before, in fact I ate a lot for breakfast to fill up my energy tank. It wasn't an easy stage, the climb was far from the finish line, tactically it was a difficult stage to manage in my situation. I attacked on the climb to drop Prodhomme and reach the top with the greatest possible advantage, then there were still 40 kilometers, half of which were flat. I did the descent as hard as I could, taking risks, and in the end I had a 3 minute advantage.I checked on the flat, also because with the heat the risk of cramps is just around the corner, in fact I reached the finish line still strong».
Preparation at high altitude
His words are all geared towards the return, towards the answers he was looking for. Beyond the victory, it was important for Uijtdebroeks to know he could pick up where he left off months ago: "To prepare for this race, I spent a long time at high altitude in Andorra. I achieved the KOM at the Arcalis Pass, clocking 440 watts in 30 minutes.It was then that I understood that I was back to my old self, I gained a lot of confidence, also because I didn't feel any pain and this for me was the most beautiful gift."
The back problem had undermined that same confidence, also because it had been going on for a long time. "It was a difficult year and a half for me. I could see that my body didn't respond, that my legs were always strong, that I could fight with the best, but my back gave me problems and so the results couldn't come. But I tried not to get discouraged: if there's a problem, let's face it, let's try to find a solution even if it means suffering and making sacrifices."
New coach, new set-up
A solution that seems to have finally been found also thanks to his new coach Espen Aareskjold: «We changed many things, it was necessary to reset everything. First of all I worked a lot on my position on the bike and I'm still working on it, then we changed a lot of things in my training. Now I can say I feel the same as before the back pain came on, in fact even worse. But I have to say that the relationship we have established with Espen also helps me a lot: he listens to me, he values my opinions, we have a common goal which is to reach the highest level".
Uijtdebroeks had already done quite well in San Sebastian, although the action of ciccone He had caught him off guard and ended up 9th at 1'10". Now he is racing in the Czech Tour (yesterday third behind Lecerf Junior and Fancellu), but his goals are further ahead: «I want to earn a jersey for the European Championship, that's my goal, to be achieved without going through the VueltaWith the team, we've decided that given the situation, it's premature to return to a Grand Tour this year. It's better to test myself in road races and short stage races. It's a transition year, so let's say I'm taking it that way."
A 2026 with big goals
However, the Grand Tours remain his natural destination: «The project remains to become a specialist. I say that being in the top 10 is no longer enough, I want at least a podium finish and I dream of a victory. I know it's in my nature. But for that, I have to learn to win. The Tour de l'Ain was important,” Uijtdebroeks recalls, “but it was my first victory. I still have a lot to learn, to grow, and races like that help me right now more than a Vuelta, where realistically I wouldn't be competitive. Next year, I'll be back in a Grand Tour; Visma-Lease a Bike has already promised me that.”
