"It is difficult to say where I stand compared to the Vuelta last year" - Cian Uijtdebroeks starts Giro d'Italia as Team Visma | Lease a Bike's GC hope

After his protracted and controversial move from BORA - hansgrohe to Team Visma | Lease a Bike over the recent off-season, Cian Uijtdebroeks gets his first Grand Tour chance in the colours of his new team at the upcoming Giro d'Italia. 

So far this year, the 21-year-old Belgian has been solid if not spectacular. A 5th-placed finish overall at Gran Camino in support of Jonas Vingegaard and 7th overall in a similarly supportive role at Tirreno-Adriatico showed positive signs. A disappointing Volta a Catalunya last time out, abandoning on the final stage, wasn't perfect preparation for the Giro but nevertheless, Uijtdebroeks is excited to for the next few weeks of racing. 

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"I feel good," said Uijtdebroeks, who is tasked with continuing Team Visma | Lease a Bike's Grand Tour dominance over the past 12 months, in a pre-Giro d'Italia press conference. "After the Volta a Catalunya I had a good rest and then I started building up again. I feel fresh. It is difficult to say where I stand compared to, say, the Vuelta last year."

Aside from the presence of Tadej Pogacar, potentially the biggest threat to Uijtdebroeks' general classification ambitions is the lack of a top-quality time-trial. "The time trials will certainly be important," he admits, with a pair of ITTs on this year's Giro d'Italia route. "It is still a work point for me and it will take another one or two years before I am really perfect on the bike."

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🇮🇹 #GirodItalia -2 days until the first grand tour of the year 🐝🪞

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