BORA on Cian Uijtdebroeks: "When you see how good he is already, it's quite impressive"

Cian Uijtdebroeks is currently one of the most promising riders in the peloton, and has been riding under the radar of the big stars. BORA - hansgrohe have just taken a crucial Giro d'Italia win, but on the same day their young Belgian prospect has also achieved his first Top10 in the pro ranks at a stage-race.

"It was a challenging but successful week for me, I'm very happy to score my first top 10 in a stage race, even though I prefer stage races with more climbing," the 19-year old said after completing the Tour of Norway. He has been given a secondary calendar this year, having raced four non-World Tour stage-races where he is learning the ways in the elite peloton and quicken the learning process. 

He finished sixth in the queen stage to Gaustatoppen, however eighth in the GC as he lost time in the echelons on stage two. He's positive that those mistakes will be improved: "I feel that I still have a lot to learn in that work, I certainly had difficult moments in the fans. At the highest level every bit of energy counts and I have to get better at that. But I'm still young and I still have plenty of time to learn."

Team DS Rolf Aldag has stressed though that there aren't worries regarding those situations for the time being. "He's not as explosive as other climbers and that's why he still struggles with rhythm changes uphill," Aldag pointed out. “We have to take it step by step with Cian. But when you see how good he is already, it's quite impressive."