Uijtdebroeks in right place with Team Visma | Lease a Bike
Life is smiling on Cian Uijtdebroeks. The young Belgian rider, who has just turned 21, is enjoying his first few months with Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Next Monday, Uijtdebroeks and his team will be at the start of Tirreno-Adriatico.
The stage race from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Adriatic Sea consists of seven stages. Team Visma | Lease a Bike has big ambitions. "We are here to win the GC”, Uijtdebroeks says. "With Jonas Vingegaard, we might even have the top favourite. He showed last week in O Gran Camiño that he is in good form.
The opening day will feature the traditional time trial in Lido di Camaiore. A ten-kilometre time trial will decide who wears the leader's jersey for the first time. Tirreno-Adriatico also features several stages with vicious finishes. On the penultimate day, the queen stage will finish on the summit of Monte Petrano.
Sports director Arthur van Dongen is clear about the ambitions of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. "With Jonas in the team, it would be crazy to say that we are not aiming for a final victory. This race suits him. Two years ago, he was second here. Now, we hope to be one step closer to the final podium. We will go there with a strong team.”
"I am in the right place with this team"
For Uijtdebroeks, it will be his second race in yellow and black. He raced at O Gran Camiño last week. "That was a good experience. Not least because of my fifth place in the final classification. The weather conditions were not ideal. Otherwise, I could have done better. I am happy with where I am at this point in the season. I'm working towards a peak performance.”
That peak will come at the Giro d'Italia, Uijtdebroeks’ highlight in 2024. "My schedule at the moment is all about this grand tour. The upcoming race is part of that. I look forward to fighting for the overall win with the team in Tirreno-Adriatico. I can also learn a lot from Jonas. It helps my development to race with such strong riders. I am happy with my progress this winter. I am in the right place with this team. I have already made a lot of progress in training and nutrition. I look forward to pinning on a number again next week in Italy”, Uijtdebroeks says.
"Cian has been a welcome addition to the team in recent months”, Van Dongen says. "He has gotten better and stronger. On the eve of his first WorldTour race with the team, the enthusiasm is palpable. He is a very pleasant athlete to work with. Ideally, at Tirreno-Adriatico next week, Cian will play an important role in our goal: the overall victory.”
Line-up Team Visma | Lease a Bike Tirreno - Adriatico: Cian Uijtdebroeks, Jonas Vingegaard, Robert Gesink, Dylan van Baarle, Steven Kruijswijk, Ben Tullett & Attila Valter.
Sport directors: Arthur van Dongen, Grischa Niermann & Maarten Wynants.
