Blocked Uijtdebroeks at his wit's end: "It can't be that it keeps coming back"

A striking moment occurred during the final stretch of the seventh stage of the Vuelta a España: Cian Uijtdebroeks, a co-leader for the general classification at Visma | Lease a Bike, had to drop quickly on the last climb. He ultimately lost more than eight minutes, putting a serious dent in his general classification ambitions. Last season, the Belgian finished eighth in the Vuelta a España.

Uijtdebroeks started getting into trouble on the Alto del 14%, a four-kilometer climb with only two steep kilometers. The young stage racer encountered difficulties early on and lost a significant amount of time. After the stage, a disappointed Uijtdebroeks was at a loss as he attempted to explain his underperformance. "I ride as hard as I can, but I keep experiencing a numb feeling in my legs, and everything just blocks up. We've often said it could be due to fatigue or this or that, but it can't be that it keeps coming back. It can't always be fatigue. I've never experienced riding around with such a numb feeling. I just can't do anything more. This isn't normal. On such a short climb, I should be able to stay much more towards the front," a desperate Uijtdebroeks told Het Laatste Nieuws.

This isn't the first time this year that the young rider has struggled, and it's clearly affecting his confidence. "You do everything for it and work incredibly hard. If it happens once, it's not a big deal. But now it's happening constantly, and that's not fun. I feel like I'm riding around with swollen legs that have no power. It's a feeling I've never had before." While his general classification hopes may be dashed, Uijtdebroeks isn't giving up. "I'll do my best to help the guys who are still in a good position." He's also already thinking about next year. "We need to look further into what is causing this. We definitely need to take a different approach going into next year."