"I’ve probably done it around 50 times in my life" - Cian Uijtdebroeks eager to take on Mur de Huy and aim for top result at Flèche Wallonne
Cycling
Cian Uijtdebroeks, Movistar Team’s leader for the Ardennes, tackles La Flèche Wallonne with optimism and the aim of testing himself on the brutal Mur de Huy before switching focus to Sunday’s Liège–Bastogne–Liège. The Belgian spoke to Cycling Pro Net before the start, sharing his thoughts on form and expectations.
He underlined how special it feels to race at home: “Yes, it’s a home race, so for me it’s waking up at home and going to training. Doing it for the first time here brings a special feeling.”
On his familiarity with the Mur de Huy, Uijtdebroeks made clear this is far from unknown terrain: “Yes, I know it quite well. I’ve probably done it around 50 times in my life since I was a kid. I know every stone up there.” After joining Movistar, the Belgian rider made it clear quite early on that he wanted to aim for strong results in the Belgian Ardennes, which are on a yearly basis becoming more suited to the climbers such as him due to the very fast speeds that are had all day long.
Assessing his chances on such an explosive finish, the Belgian was cautious, aware of the specificity of the decisive effort: “It’s a very specific effort, you know. It’s a very specific effort, we’ll find out today, I guess. It’s quite explosive as well.”
Cian Uijtdebroeks, Movistar Team star
Uijtdebroeks' form
He also assessed his condition after a demanding racing block: “In recent weeks in the Basque Country I’ve felt good as well. So we’ll see. But positioning will be crucial. It’s a big part of the race and it’s my first time here. I want to discover myself and see how it goes.”
Uijtdebroeks added how he arrives physically after races like Itzulia and the Volta a Catalunya: “Yes, exactly. That’s also a bit of the question now, how fresh I still am. In the last trainings I still felt good, but these are definitely the last two races and then comes a recovery block.”
However on the roads of Wallonie, he won't be feeling the fatigue as much as he will be feeling the joy of racing at home, specially in the leader role for the first time in these World Tour classics: “ t’s super nice because they (friends and family, ed.) don’t get many chances to see me, as I usually race in other countries. So it’s really nice for them too.”
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.
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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)...
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- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
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- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
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- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
- None of those victories stand, so there's that,wrsty13-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026 - I like Del Toro but he's not on the level of Jonas, by a large margin.awp12-11-2026
- There are only two people who will be competing with Tadej in 2027 and neither are Remco.awp12-11-2026
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