Cian Uijtdebroeks is only 22 years old but has already experienced very different phases in his career. This Friday a new one officially started as the Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider took his first pro win, and couldn’t have done it in better style.
The Belgian rider was a member of the BORA – hansgrohe when he turned pro and due to his immense potential, he was part of a very controversial move at the end of 2023 as he broke out of his contract to join the Visma team. Whilst the collaboration started well, in mid-2024 the tables were turned as he began experienced back issues.
These have kept him away from his best level for over a year, and Uijtdebroeks has barely been able to obtain results since the 2024 Giro. This year he has had many ups and downs – mostly downs – and on his way to recovery from the back problems he was hit by a car in June, effectively missing out on almost four months of competition. He resumed racing at the Clásica San Sebastián where he looked strong, but in France he truly showed his best level.
“I’m incredibly proud of the team. We may not have done everything perfectly, but we gave it our all for three straight days. In the end, Cian finished it off in spectacular fashion, and he truly deserves it after the difficult months he’s had,” team DS Robert Wagner said in a press release. “I’m very pleased”.
Visma had the numbers but hadn’t been able to hit Nicolas Prodhomme who went into the final stage in the yellow jersey. Despite destroying the race and having three riders in a group of six into the ascent of the Grand Colombier, the team put it’s trust in the Belgian to make the difference. And he did, attacking and dropping the yellow jersey with 51 kilometers to go, and then extending that lead all the way to the finish, having more than three minutes over his closest competitor in Belley.
“This is incredible. The past few months have been tough, so it feels amazing to come back like this,” he described. “I was already feeling good in San Sebastián, but this is truly fantastic. It was a dream of mine to win a race this year. That was my goal: to learn how to win. To actually do it now is just amazing.”
The victory was followed with a lengthy celebration, much deserved many commented after all the setbacks he experienced. “The team was incredibly strong again today. On the penultimate climb, we pushed the pace hard, which left us with a small group going into the Colombier. Ben did a great job after that, setting things up so I could launch my attack and finish it off.”