Discovery of the Alpe d'Huez and improving on explosivity - Cian Uijtdebroeks reveals his unfinished business ahead of his first Tour de France with Movistar

The 2026 season marks a major turning point in Cian Uijtdebroeks’ career, with a change of teams and goals - marked by a Tour de France debut, as a leader no less. After a turbulent end to his spell at Visma and a campaign start hampered by an elbow injury, the young Belgian climber seems to have found stability at Movistar Team. Yet the rider himself admits he is still far from his top level.

In an interview with Dutch outlet Wielerflits, Uijtdebroeks offered a frank assessment of his form just days before tackling the season’s big objective: his Tour de France debut. The Belgian acknowledges his aerobic base is where it should be, but also pinpoints the area that still needs work: explosiveness.

After finishing among the best at the demanding Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Uijtdebroeks believes his preparation is on schedule. “We’re where we want to be,” he told the Dutch outlet. “The base condition is good, but there’s still a step to take towards peak form.”

The most revealing admission came when he analysed what he lacks to go toe to toe with the GC favourites. “I’ve trained the base a lot, many hours, but not too much intensity. Now is when we really start working on that explosiveness,” said Uijtdebroeks, admitting he still lacks the punch to respond to the sharp accelerations of riders like Tadej Pogačar or Remco Evenepoel.

It is no small detail. Modern cycling demands ever more explosiveness, even from general classification contenders. Mountain stages are no longer decided solely by diesel endurance, but by explosive attacks, repeated accelerations, and high-intensity efforts. That is precisely where Uijtdebroeks sees room to improve.

The lack of snap is nothing new for the Belgian. Since the junior ranks, Uijtdebroeks has stood out for his huge aerobic capacity and consistency on long climbs, more than for his punch.

His best results as a pro have almost always come in prolonged efforts: he was eighth at the 2023 Vuelta a España and this year has already delivered solid rides at races such as Volta a Catalunya, Itzulia Basque Country, and the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. However, he tends to struggle more in explosive finishes or on days with constant surges.

Movistar have built a highly specific plan. The goal is not only to bolster endurance, a quality he already has, but to add that acceleration and change-of-pace needed to stay with the best when the race blows apart.

Perhaps the most striking revelation from the Dutch outlet interview is another: Uijtdebroeks has never climbed the iconic Alpe d’Huez, summit finish on stages 19 and 20.

It is surprising for one of the most promising young climbers in the peloton and, moreover, a rider who will make his Tour de France debut this year. However, the Belgian explained he has not yet had the chance to recon the most emblematic ascent in world cycling.

The detail takes on added weight because Alpe d’Huez will again be one of the decisive stages of the Tour. Its 21 famous hairpins, the charged atmosphere, and its immense history turn every ascent into a unique experience, even for riders used to high mountains.

For many cyclists, a first encounter with Alpe d’Huez is almost a rite of passage. In Uijtdebroeks’ case, that experience will come straight in competition, under the pressure of the world’s most important race.

Despite these admissions, the Belgian’s message is optimistic. Since joining the Spanish team, he says he feels fully integrated and satisfied with how the team works.

After months adapting to new training methods, nutrition, and equipment, Uijtdebroeks believes the transition is positive and that there is still plenty of room to grow.

Movistar shares that view. Internally they see the Belgian as one of the team’s major long-term projects and expect his Tour debut to serve as a first big test ahead of future podium ambitions.

For now, the rider himself prefers caution. His stated goal is to finish in the top ten overall. It is an ambitious target, but perfectly realistic if he can make that final leap in explosiveness that he identifies as the key missing piece in his development.