Early in the Italian fall classic, Bart Lemmen joined an early breakaway of fourteen riders. The group, however, never gained a significant advantage over the peloton, meaning the Dutchman could not play a decisive role once the race entered its demanding finale.

On the Passo di Ganda, the pace increased. Ben Tulett and Uijtdebroeks gave it their all but were unable to follow the favourites. Pogačar proved the strongest and finished solo in Bergamo, while Uijtdebroeks fought hard to claim an impressive tenth place.

“It was a really tough day,” Uijtdebroeks reflected. “I felt quite good. When Pogačar attacked, I was a bit too far back, so I rode my own tempo. Fortunately, I managed to rejoin the chasing group. The final kilometres were all about suffering, but I’m happy with tenth place in my first Monument. I can look back positively on today.”

Sports director Marc Reef was also pleased with the team’s performance. “It was a hard race from start to finish. We focused on the Passo di Ganda because we expected that’s where the race would explode, and that’s exactly what happened. Tiesj Benoot positioned Cian and Ben well before the climb, after which Cian crested it in a chasing group. As we didn’t have the top favourite within our ranks, we can be satisfied with tenth for Cian and fourteenth for Ben.”