Uijtdebroeks dreams of rivaling Pogacar in future Giro races: "That's the dream"

Visma | Lease a Bike has spent weeks ensuring that Cian Uijtdebroeks could ride in the Giro d'Italia without any pressure. However, the 21-year-old Belgian didn't make it easy for his team in the first week. Heading into the second week, Uijtdebroeks wears the white youth jersey on his shoulders and holds fifth place in the general classification. Dreaming is now permitted, but everyone involved has to keep both feet firmly on the ground.

Uijtdebroeks got through the hectic ride to Naples on Sunday well, allowing him to enter the first rest day with a good feeling. He is only 1 minute and 22 seconds behind the second place of Daniel Felipe Martínez (BORA-hansgrohe), and his best stages are yet to come... "The first week wasn't one that I really loved, with tricky moments like the gravel, the time trial, and the punchy stages. But we survived well, and I'm happy with the position I'm in. I've surprised myself, as I expected to lose more time in the time trial and struggle more on the gravel. So, I'm happy and have learned a lot from the stages I've raced," said the climber at the press conference on Monday.

A day earlier, team manager Marc Reef had expressed similar sentiments to IDLProCycling.com. "We're very pleased with Cian's first week. He navigated through everything smoothly and survived all the chaos well. He also performed well in the time trial, which helped limit his time loss to the competitors. Initially, we couldn't predict what to expect from him, especially in his first few months with the team. We didn't want to set expectations or put pressure on him, as he puts enough on himself. He's very eager, but we want to grow with him step by step. He has shown good things, and that also motivates the rest of the team."

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Uijtdebroeks and Visma | Lease a Bike want to live in the moment

Indeed: Kooij won the ninth stage on Sunday, even though Christophe Laporte and Robert Gesink are already back home, and half of the remaining four domestiques stayed with Uijtdebroeks. "It's a shame we lost those guys; it wasn't ideal. But the fact that Olav still won a sprint without Christophe shows that it doesn’t change our goals. We keep our focus on stage wins and for me personally, on the classification. The stage victory was a very nice boost for the team after all the setbacks. It was great to win again," said the cheerful Visma team leader.

Uijtdebroeks isn’t particularly focused on claiming victory in the upcoming mountain stages. "We certainly aim to capture more stage wins as a team. I’m concentrating on the general classification, which makes it challenging to target stage wins, especially with competitors like Pogacar in the peloton. If an opportunity arises and I really push it, Pogacar is likely to be right there with me. But, you never know, maybe he'll choose to hold back occasionally. I aimed to minimize my losses in the first week, but being in the white jersey and fifth overall, after the punchy stages, gravel, and time trial, puts me in an excellent position. I’m really pleased with that."

"My strategy is to go as hard as possible every day," he says, making it all sound quite simple. "Going for the classification is no different than fighting for the white jersey. Then we'll see what it yields in Rome. Can I reach the podium? That would be really great. It's still a long race, but I'm not really looking at positions. I want to get the most out of it and a lot can happen." Reef also comments on the rising expectations around Uijtdebroeks. "That's mainly what the outside world is concerned with. We started with the idea that he can do what he wants, which is to try to get the most out of it. That's going very well and we'd like to maintain that. If you start setting expectations, you're looking forward and not living in the moment. We want to avoid that."

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Uijtdebroeks particularly pleased with Giro time trial

In this regard, it's great that Uijtdebroeks successfully navigated the first nine stages, but according to Reef, the general classification riders haven't faced much climbing in the first part of the Giro. "He seems to be among the better climbers, but we're only at the end of week one. We still have two weeks to go, and even today (Sunday), there were crashes left and right. We need to stay sharp, and hopefully, he continues to roll through like this and stays healthy. Then we're going to see great things from him."

Especially the time trial on day seven had a positive impact on the mental state of Uijtdebroeks and Visma | Lease a Bike. Although the Belgian lost quite a bit of time to others, considering that until last year Uijtdebroeks was not exactly known for his time-trialling skills... "The time trial was a positive step forward for me," he admits himself. "We've worked on it for months, but you can't just suddenly excel at it if you weren't good before. We've made progress, and I'm happy with the steps I've taken. We'll continue to improve, but it might take a year or two before it's perfect."

This underscores the patience Visma | Lease a Bike has with its new GC contender. The smile has never left Uijtdebroeks' face in nine days, which is somewhat his trademark. "I love to ride every day and get the most out of it. I race without pressure and extremes in my mind. That's why I always smile, to have fun and enjoy it. A positive mindset is very important because you're suffering every day. You get tired, and if the atmosphere in the team is good..."

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Uijtdebroeks shows respect for Pogacar, and is ready for what's next

Let's take a moment to size up the competition. Pogacar has already been mentioned, but the fight for a top ten spot remains close among the rest. "Geraint Thomas is very strong, but Daniel Felipe Martinez has surprised me," says Uijtdebroeks. "Tuesday will be a crucial day, with a tough climb at the end. However, these aren't the high mountains yet. It's a good course, but I'm really looking forward to Sunday," he hints at the mountain finish—above 2,000 meters—in the popular training area of Livigno.

"There's one man who seems to be from another planet, and beyond him, the field is wide open," Uijtdebroeks summarizes neatly. "It will be a great battle. A top five finish would be a nice achievement." The respect he expresses for Pogacar is a notable detail. "For Pogacar, Prato di Tivo (on day eight) was like a rest day, considering what he did the next day in the sprint for Molano. Whether he gets tired, we'll see. If you want to attack, you should. When someone wins a lot, there will always be comments. He is well-liked in the peloton, and if he doesn't attack, he'll face criticism for not attacking enough. So, he can never really please everyone."

Uijtdebroeks hopes to someday compete with Pogacar, as well as his teammate Jonas Vingegaard. Both are at an incredible level, but dreaming is allowed. "That's the dream we have, and we'll see what the future holds. I try to do my best every day and we'll see how far we get. The team has really helped me a lot in my first few months and taught me a lot about being a leader. I've learned from Jonas and Sepp (Kuss) how they handle leadership roles. We've made progress for the future and I receive feedback from the team, for instance, on how we approach a climb. We are growing in that aspect."