{"id":381193,"date":"2026-01-20T23:37:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T23:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/381193\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T23:37:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T23:37:12","slug":"this-is-his-last-chance-if-it-doesnt-work-hell-be-riding-for-flanders-baloise-or-tietema-cian-uijtdebroeks-handed-now-or-never-warning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/381193\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThis is his last chance\u2026 If it doesn&#8217;t work he\u2019ll be riding for Flanders-Baloise or Tietema\u201d \u2013 Cian Uijtdebroeks handed \u2018now or never\u2019 warning after Movistar move"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#13;<\/p>\n<p>But according to the analysis aired on Kop over Kop, that freedom comes with a price.<\/p>\n<p>Freedom, pressure and personality<\/p>\n<p>Movistar\u2019s commitment to Uijtdebroeks has been total. \u201cThey have put everything on Uijtdebroeks. The pressure has only increased. This was the only team he could go to, this was the only option. Here he gets the freedom, here he can do his own thing a bit. And then we will see what it becomes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That freedom is exactly what Uijtdebroeks wanted when he chose to leave one of the most structured teams in the peloton. He has said himself that following his heart meant chasing Grand Tours and general classification ambitions, even if that meant taking risks.<\/p>\n<p>But his character, not just his legs, is now under scrutiny. \u201cHe has to stop with that laughing. He gives really nice interviews. We all like it, but because of that it also became a bit of a joke around him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That reputation, it was claimed, even played a role earlier in his career. \u201cThat is also the reason why a little bullying group arose at BORA-hansgrohe, which eventually meant he had to leave. At Visma, he also wants to do his own thing and not fall in line.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"280\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/cianuijtdebroeks-692d65430a53a.jpg@webp.webp\" class=\"w-auto h-auto\" alt=\"Cian Uijtdebroeks in his Team Visma | Lease a Bike kit during the 2025 season\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Uijtdebroeks has now been involved in two high profile transfer already in his career<\/p>\n<p>A career built on promise<\/p>\n<p>Uijtdebroeks has never lacked talent. He announced himself to the wider world by winning the Tour de l\u2019Avenir as a teenager, then backed it up with an impressive top ten overall at the Vuelta a Espana at just 20. His first Giro d\u2019Italia as a GC rider showed similar promise before illness forced him out while still high on the general classification.<\/p>\n<p>Those flashes are why Movistar moved quickly when he became available. They signed him long-term, not as a helper, but as a rider they believe can one day lead them in Grand Tours.<\/p>\n<p>Uijtdebroeks himself has never hidden what he wants. \u201cIf I have to follow my heart, I want to ride the Grand Tours and compete for the GC. That is also my ambition for the coming years,\u201d he said when explaining why he chose this path.<\/p>\n<p>That ambition is now non-negotiable. According to Traksel, blending in is no longer an option. \u201cHe could also have fallen in line at Visma and ridden on the front for Vingegaard. Or done exactly what Wout van Aert asks. He says: \u2018I\u2019m not doing that. This is my path.\u2019 \u2026 I also think he deserves respect for daring to take these risks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Valencia as the first test<\/p>\n<p>His new story begins on 4 February at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana, a race with a time trial and tough mountain stages, and a start list strong enough to offer immediate perspective on where he stands.<\/p>\n<p>Later in the spring come Itzulia, La Fleche Wallonne and Liege Bastogne Liege, before the biggest milestone of all: his first Tour de France.<\/p>\n<p>For Uijtdebroeks, this is not just another transfer. It is a bet on himself, his vision and his willingness to swim against the current.<\/p>\n<p>But the warning now hanging over his season is clear. This is not just about becoming good. It is about proving he belongs at the top at all. If Movistar works, the path he chose will look brave. If it does not, that verdict will follow him for a long time.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#13; But according to the analysis aired on Kop over Kop, that freedom comes with a price. Freedom,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313886,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[113394,4985,38938,101,110958,36242,109609,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-381193","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cian-uijtdebroeks","9":"tag-cycling","10":"tag-movistar-team","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-team-flanders-baloise","13":"tag-team-visma-lease-a-bike","14":"tag-transfers-negotiations","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=381193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/381193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313886"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=381193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=381193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=381193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}