“I already had cramps” – Cian Uijtdebroeks suffers nightmare start to 2026 Tour de France in Barcelona
Cycling
Cian Uijtdebroeks’ bid for a top-10 finish at the 2026 Tour de France has already taken damage, after the Movistar Team's leader and general classification hopeful endured a miserable opening team time trial on stage 1 in Barcelona.
The Belgian had started Stage 1 with Movistar clearly riding to protect him through the early part of the course, but the plan collapsed on the Montjuic finale. Uijtdebroeks was distanced by his own teammates on the climb, forcing Movistar riders to wait before he lost contact again in the run-in to the finish.
Movistar start fast before Uijtdebroeks cracks on Montjuic
A team time trial was never likely to be the most comfortable opening test for Uijtdebroeks, but Movistar initially looked to have the situation under control. The Spanish team were among the fastest squads through the intermediate checks, with Uijtdebroeks positioned at the back of the group as his teammates carried him through the flatter streets of Barcelona.
That changed once the route turned towards Montjuic. As the road kicked up, Uijtdebroeks began to suffer, with teammates having to ease and regroup rather than continue the rhythm that had put Movistar high on the timing screens.
Raul Garcia Pierna was able to push on and record Movistar’s best finishing time, but that did little for Uijtdebroeks under the individual timing format used on the opening stage. The Belgian reached the finish with a significantly heavier loss, leaving him behind the early leaders before the biggest general classification contenders had even completed their efforts.
“The heat caused me problems”
Speaking after the stage to Sporza, Uijtdebroeks pointed to the heat as the reason behind his difficult afternoon. “I already had cramps before I started the first climb,” he said. “The plan was for me to sprint to the finish, but of course that is difficult with cramps.”
The setback comes after a more encouraging build-up, including a solid showing at the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes. In Barcelona, however, the demands were different: a fast team effort through the city, followed by a steep final section where any weakness became immediately visible. “If I lose a minute later, it will still be okay,” Uijtdebroeks added. “But the Tour is still long.”
For Uijtdebroeks, that is the line Movistar will have to cling to after Stage 1. The target of Paris remains distant, but his Tour has opened with cramps, lost contact and early time to recover.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment