"Sometimes you laugh about it. We use the same set-up as world champion Remco Evenepoel" - BORA - hansgrohe DS didn't understand Cian Uijtdebroeks famous criticism of time-trial bike

BORA - hansgrohe Rolf Aldag has talked in-depth into the situation that developed around Cian Uijtdebroeks, and he also reveals that he never understood the criticism of BORA's time-trial bike at the Chrono des Nations.

"For outsiders this is great offseason entertainment. Grab the popcorn and Coca Cola. It is not nice for us to be in this situation. All the programs are created, that's my job, not the contracts," DS Rolf Aldag said in conversation with The Cycling Podcast. "That is why I cannot comment on the contract situation, but everything for 2024 in terms of program and planning was also in place for Cian. We assumed he would be part of the team. It hit like a bomb."

Aldag was not expecting this to happen even with the Belgian's clear discontent with some aspects of the team, and is now involved in the team's court case instead of working with Uijtdebroeks towards the 2024 season. He has said before that the case is going to court, and he worries of the consequences this may have in the future of the sport. "Because what will that mean for cycling, with all those long-term contracts?"

"Contracts always state that you can get out of an obligation if everyone supports it. I'm not happy that it's happening to a 20-year-old because he doesn't have the experience. It's much more about his future than ours. If contracts have zero value anymore, we have a problem," he says. "A lot of team managers have already responded to the situation, because they are concerned. What are we going to do now? That will be interesting."

"I was 10 kms into the race and my shifter came loose and I was immediately allowed to change bikes. But that spare bike wasn't right and I can race as fast as I want and can, but I'm not doing well," he said at the time. "I come here to learn, so it would be great if my bikes were okay." In that interview he also pointed towards he possibility of leaving the team; it was already evident at this time that he was not happy with his surroundings.

"Sometimes you laugh about it. We use the same set-up as world champion Remco Evenepoel, and it's not going too bad, right? I think it's hard to say the bike isn't competitive," Aldag responds. "I know how Soudal-Quick Step operates and have been intensively involved in developing the material. Or they must have suddenly made a magical change at Quick Step, but I don't think so. Our set-up can compete with other WorldTour teams. We were going to ride the Chrono des Nations as a test, and everyone knew that. Nothing happened there that we didn't expect."