Cian Uijtdebroeks abandons Vuelta a España as Movistar rider leaves Grand Tour in first week again after Tour de France disappointment

Cycling
Wednesday, 26 August 2026 at 10:32
Cian Uijtdebroeks abandoned the Tour de France
Terrible news announced by Movistar Team on the eve of stage 5 of the Vuelta a España 2026. The worst fears regarding Cian Uijtdebroeks have been confirmed: the Belgian leaves the race before taking the start of the fifth day of the Grand Tour. His ankle injury does not allow him to compete as he would have wished.
In this way, Uijtdebroeks ends a Grand Tour in the opening week for the second time in a row. The Belgian already abandoned the last Tour de France due to a feverish condition that prevented him from performing well on any day. This time he departs La Vuelta after the crash on stage 2, which left him completely shattered.
This is another stroke of bad luck for Movistar. Although the telecom squad is well placed with Enric Mas, 3rd overall after his strong ride on the first high-mountain day, Cian Uijtdebroeks was their second spearhead to extract the biggest haul possible from this Vuelta a España and temporarily put the relegation troubles behind them.
In the official statement on Uijtdebroeks’ withdrawal, the team wrote: “Cian Uijtdebroeks will not take the start this Wednesday at La Vuelta 2026. After conducting new tests and examinations on the rider, it has been determined that the injury resulting from the crash suffered during stage 2 is more extensive than initially estimated. The team has decided that Cian will abandon the race so he can begin his recovery as soon as possible.”
Cian Uijtdebroeks at La Vuelta presentation in Monaco
Cian Uijtdebroeks en la presentación de La Vuelta en Mónaco

Cian Uijtdebroeks’ 2026 season

Cian Uijtdebroeks’ first season with Movistar Team is far from what was expected. It already started with problems after he crashed and was injured at the beginning of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. On his return he achieved his best result in the ‘M’, a 5th place at Milano–Torino.
He then strung together solid performances, finishing 8th at the Volta a Catalunya and 7th at the Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes. The sensations were improving, but then came the Tour de France.
In the Grande Boucle, where he aimed to lead Movistar Team in the general classification on his race debut, Uijtdebroeks fell ill 24 hours before the start, and from day one he lost time, showing his worst on the opening team time trial in Barcelona.
He abandoned on the Tourmalet stage 6, where he had to step off the bike after failing to overcome his physical issues. And finally came the next blow at the Vuelta a España.
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