"Giro and Vuelta again" - Cian Uijtdebroeks already has 2026 plans cleared out for Movistar debut

2026 will be Cian Uitjdebroeks debut year with Movistar Team and the Belgian rider is one of the first riders to announce his main goals for the season. It doesn't come as a surprise, as he had said he wanted to aim for the Tour de France but not yet. Hence, the current Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider should be racing the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España next year.

Uijtdebroeks proved himself to be a quality Grand Tour rider in his debut back at the 2023 Vuelta a España, finishing in the Top10 at age 20. He has struggled during his time with Visma and couldn't conclude his only Grand Tour - the 2024 Giro, where he was fighting for a top result but had to abandon the race. But his goals haven't changed, and he remains focused on evolving in the three-week races.

This morning at the start of Tre Valli Varesine, the youngster talked to Cyclingpro.net and further developed on his move to Movistar, one of the biggest shocks of this transfer market, but one that for him makes full sense.

“It wasn’t in the cards for very long. Talks only started a month ago. We started looking at what opportunities I could get in the coming years, which races I could ride. If I have to follow my heart, I want to ride the Grand Tours and fight for the GC there," he said. "That’s also my ambition for the coming years.”

With his health seemingly back to normal now, he has been having a strong finale to the season with a stage and overall win at the Tour de l'Ain, strong results in a few other races and a strong display of power in the hilly Italian autumn classics where he ordinarily lacked the explosivity to perform.

But in 2026 he will return to the three-week races and already knows which ones he will be competing in: "Next year I want to compete in the Giro and Vuelta again to aim for a good overall result. Movistar feels like a warm family that wants to support me. That's why I'm going to this family."