Cian Uijtdebroeks prepares to kick start season with more power at Tirreno-Adriatico: "I'll probably be a bit heavier than normal"

Cian Uijtdebroeks, one of the most promising young riders in the peloton at just 22 years old, is set to take on Tirreno-Adriatico, marking his first major objective of the season. The Belgian has been steadily building his form in recent weeks, fine tuning his condition as he looks to make an impact in the Italian stage race.

Speaking to Wielerflits, Uijtdebroeks reflected on his preparation and confidence heading into the race.

"I was able to ride there steadily for a week and I also had no complaints with my back for a week. I also knew that I could still improve in terms of condition, but I have trained hard for that in recent weeks with an eye on Tirreno-Adriatico, my first main goal of the season."

Tirreno-Adriatico presents a unique course this year, one that may not perfectly suit his climbing strengths but still offers an important challenge.

"There are one or two mountain stages, but it is not extreme. It is not the ideal course for me. I will find that later in Romandie and Switzerland," he explains. "But Tirreno-Adriatico is certainly a race that I have set my sights on in terms of a classification."

As he continues his development, Uijtdebroeks has been working on improving his all-around ability, knowing that versatility is key to thriving in Grand Tours.

"It's definitely a challenge. I've also trained differently, because ultimately you have to be able to handle all those kinds of courses in the future to be able to shine in the big tours," he says with a laugh. "I've trained a bit more on explosiveness, more strength training, so I'll probably be a bit heavier than normal."

In Ardèche, he felt the effects of his heavy training load, while in Drôme, a crash before the first long climb put him out of contention.

"In the Ardèche Classic, I felt the fatigue of the last training block in the final phase. I didn't have any real punch there anymore," he reflected. "In the Drôme Classic, I was held up by a crash just before the first long climb, which put me far behind. I did get back into the peloton, but then they started attacking at full speed. From that moment on, it was all over."

Despite these setbacks, Uijtdebroeks remains positive about his form and believes he is on track for Tirreno-Adriatico after the hard training he has put in.

"I rode to get back into the peloton after that crash. The form is certainly there, but the body was a bit tired. That is normal after a long block, but I got the stimulus we wanted. With rest I want to get those last percentages for Tirreno."