Visma | Lease a Bike brings back trio for Tour of Switzerland and aims to "contend for the final podium" with protected trio

In the Critérium du Dauphiné, they may be falling like flies, but in the Tour of Switzerland, Visma | Lease a Bike is fortunate to be able to open a fresh can of riders. The Dutch team welcomes back Cian Uijtdebroeks, Robert Gesink, and Wilco Kelderman after overcoming illnesses and injuries.

Gesink had to withdraw from the Giro d'Italia on the first day after a fall that resulted in a minor hand fracture. Uijtdebroeks, although not injured, had to halt his ambitions for a high overall Giro classification when he fell ill after the first rest day, later diagnosed, as he tells Het Nieuwsblad, with pneumonia. Kelderman had been off the radar for a while after breaking his collarbone in the final turn of Paris-Nice, causing him to miss the Giro d'Italia.

Visma | Lease a Bike recently saw the trio cycling in good condition, and thus, they are slated to compete in the Tour of Switzerland. Ben Tulett, Johannes Staune-Mittet, Attila Valter, and Milan Vader will also be at the start line for the prologue on Sunday. Uijtdebroeks appears to be the man for a strong overall finish in the GC, although it's uncertain how well he has recovered from the Giro. "Luckily, I'm feeling well now. It was quite a disappointment. I was riding with a good feeling in the Giro. Despite the route in the first part not being suited to me, everything was going according to plan. We all thought the best was yet to come. Unfortunately, you can never completely avoid illness."

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Visma | Lease a Bike aims for the podium in Switzerland

After a period of rest—during which he painfully watched the Giro d'Italia on TV—Uijtdebroeks trained at altitude in Andorra. "I had to take it easy during the first few days there as I was still experiencing issues with my lungs. After that, I made progress day by day. I am now back to a good level. The plan now is to rest for a few days and then I hope to perform strongly in Switzerland. Of course, I aim for the highest possible ranking in the Tour of Switzerland, but it is primarily also a test to see where I currently stand. I hope to reach a high level."

The young Belgian reveals that Kelderman and Tulett also have 'protected status' in the eight-day stage race. Visma | Lease a Bike thus has three cards to play, says team director Marc Reef in a press release. "We have a very strong team overall. Cian needed some time to recover but has been able to train well in recent weeks. Wilco, Ben, and Johannes also had a successful training camp in Sierra Nevada, which was primarily aimed at this race. We start without a pronounced leader, but with several key players. Ultimately, we do have the ambition to contend for the final podium."