FOSSANO – The team of the outgoing winner, without the injured Van Aert, is pedalling along the first days of the Giro with Cian Uijtdebroeks' white jersey on his shoulders. The Belgian, which when you learn to write it you are one step ahead and during the winter it did false documents to pass from Bora to Visma, He is currently in fifth place, 56 seconds behind Pogacar.Like him, there is also Einer Rubio.
If yesterday in Fossano his performance was normal, The seventh place at the finish line in Oropa, 30" behind the flying Slovenian, shows that the level of this 21-year-old Walloon is already decidedly interesting.. It couldn't be otherwise, after all, for a rider who at 19 he took home the Tour de l'Avenir.
"It's fantastic," he said happily on Sunday. "For me, it was a climb that was a bit too short, and in some cases, that doesn't suit me as well. I didn't know how I would react to this. But I felt really good.I simply pushed as hard as I could to the finish line. I didn't do it with the white jersey in mind. But when I found out I was getting it, it was just amazing!».
The surprise of Oropa
Even if he had come to the Giro Van Aert, it was clear that the leader for the general classification would be the young Belgian. No more pressure on him, however, than Uijtdebroeks already puts on himself. His position in the rankings, although good, does not distract him from what will be a slow climb, step by step.
«It's still a very long race – says Cian – and I have many stages to overcome. The high mountains are yet to come and this Giro also features two time trials. I can always have a bad day too, that's why we have to take it day by day. But I also know that carrying the white shirt around will be fun».
The Italian fans
Yet things aren't going too well for the Dutch team. Gesink's withdrawal, for example, is a damage that is difficult for Uijtdebroeks to come to terms with. The very thin Dutchman was supposed to escort him along the routes of the Italian race, which he certainly knows better than him.
"Robert's retirement," says the young Belgian, "is a shame, as are the crashes of Attila Valter and Kooij in the Oropa stage. Luck is not on our side. And yet, despite all the bad luck, The guys on the team did a great job and during the Oropa stage they stayed by my side all dayIt's fantastic to be protected like this. I knew I wouldn't be the fastest in our group at the finish, but on the steep sections I managed to maintain a good pace. The Italian fans along the road made me forget the pain in my legs for a while. I just wanted to reach the summit as quickly as possible and I'm happy. The white one is my first jersey in a major Giro».
Pogacar and the others
All Visma-Lease a Bike, who in addition to Van Aert (who is training in Spain) still has to recover from Vingegaard's injury, Uijtdebroeks' good performances are so far being seen as a sort of miracle.
"In the first stage," says sports director Maarten Wynants, "positioning was a bit difficult, while in Oropa things went much better. Cian was always where he needed to be. We had calculated that It could have wasted time on the opening weekend, but in hindsight we can say that it did a great job. We're already in a better position than we thought going into the race, but the Giro is still long. There are several riders close together, except for Pogacar. Every stage will be important."
