Uijtdebroeks is on the road to recovery and has his 2025 preferences: "My back will remain a focus for now"

In conversation with Sporza, Uijtdebroeks explained his current situation. It turned out he had a problem with the lower back and not the femoral artery, as was assumed. "I've been in the gym more than on the bike the past few weeks. I've become a bodybuilder," he says jokingly of the custom workouts. "Tests showed I had a problem in my lower back, where there are a lot of nerves that run to my legs. That explained the numb feeling in the Vuelta."

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Work is not yet done for Uijtdebroeks, although the pain is progressively improving. "My back will remain a focus for now. The exercises to strengthen my muscles and the new bike position are paying off, though, because now I can do interval training without pain." Surely, his 2024 season was not completely problematic. "Wearing white in the Giro was wonderful, as was sitting in the dressing room with Tadej Pogacar. I was also excellent in the Tirreno, riding there without pressure."

Isn't that the right mindset, then? Start slowly, without expectations? We know Uijtdebroeks is tough on himself and motivated. "I am looking forward to 2025 and looking ahead with much motivation. We are busy having conversations about the plan of action and my program. There will be more clarity about that in the coming weeks. I am a tour rider, so that the GCs will remain my focus. Will I go on the Tour? I hope not. I'm personally not the biggest fan of doing the Tour right now. They're going to have to convince me," he concluded.