"I feel like I have power again" - Is 2025's injury nightmare finally over for Cian Uijtdebroeks
Cycling
Team Visma | Lease a Bike have had quite a lot of injuries and illnesses affect them over the years and one such affected rider was Cian Uijtdebroeks, who hasn't often been able to deliver since joining the Dutch team. Whilst there's no guarantee that the nightmare is finally behind the Belgian, his return to competition at the Clasica San Sebastian after almost four months could've hardly gotten any better.
The 22-year old has been affected by a nerve injury that saw him struggle last season and end his season prematurely with a withdrawal from the Vuelta a España. The issue raised concerns in Visma and throughout the winter the focus was on solving it before preparing for specific goals.
Whilst it seemed like initially this had worked as Uijtdebroeks rode a strong Tour of Oman, the back issue flared again and caused a feeling of numbness in his legs. He didn't finish Tirreno-Adriatico and in the French one-day races he rode a month later it was clear that he was still not where he needed to be. Several months have passed in the meantime, he hadn't raced since April.
But at the Basque classic, we saw the best Uijtdebroeks back to action. "I've had plenty of time to rebuild my fitness. The most important thing is that I've regained my old position on the bike. I feel like I have power again," Uijtdebroeks said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad.
Without the pressure in the one-day race, he was able to put in a strong performance on the steep climbs around San Sebastián and rode to ninth on the day. "This is very encouraging. At the beginning of the race, it was a bit of an adjustment: all those riders around me, learning how to position myself again. It took some energy, but I'm incredibly happy with what I achieved, especially on such a super-punchy course, which isn't really my style. Maybe I'll be able to do something in these kinds of races someday".
Uijtdebroeks should be leading Visma at the Tour de l'Ain next week but if he is able to maintain the consistency and not suffer from his injury further, then the Vuelta a España could still realistically be in his schedule for later in the month where the team will be backing up Jonas Vingegaard.
Read also
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment