"Cian will have a free role" - Visma DS explains Uijtdebroeks & Sepp Kuss leadership dynamic for the 2024 Vuelta a Espana

At the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, Team Visma | Lease a Bike will have one of the more intriguing lineups in the race. With defending champion Sepp Kuss leading the way and riders such as Cian Uijtdebroeks and Wout van Aert alongside, how the dynamic of the team plays out will be interesting. 

Attempting to explain how the leadership of the team will be organised, Team Visma | Lease a Bike sports director Grischa Niermann has spoken to Sporza about the plan for the race and the fight for the Red Jersey. "Cian gets a free role," Niermann reveals. "We hope to ride in the top 10 with him. He already proved that he can do that last year with that 8th place."

If push comes to shove however, Uijtdebroeks might be forced into sacrificing himself and his own goals in order to support Kuss' ambitions as the American attempts to win the Red Jersey for the second successive year. "If Sepp suddenly takes the lead, it could be that Cian will play a helper role," Niermann adds. 

The dual leadership duo of Uijtdebroeks and Kuss already proved fruitful for Team Visma | Lease a Bike at the recent Vuelta a Burgos, where Kuss secured the overall victory. "Cian, like Sepp Kuss, was involved in the massive crash (on stage 2 ed.). He certainly suffered from his injuries, but not to the extent that he suddenly became a question mark for the Vuelta," reflects Niermann. "He is on schedule in his preparation for the Vuelta."

The 21-year-old also impressed at the Giro d'Italia earlier this year before being forced to abandon the race due to a positive illness whilst wearing the White Jersey of Best Young Rider. "Cian could have really gone far then," Niermann recalls. "He could normally have competed for that top 5 until the end. Cian is very motivated and will ride a good Vuelta. But he is still young and we should not put too much pressure on him."