"The high mountains await. That's where I feel a little more comfortable" - Cian Uijtdebroeks not really bothered by bad prologue at Tour de Suisse

Cycling
Monday, 10 June 2024 at 01:00
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Not even the super-futuristic time trial helmets by Giro could hide Cian Uijtdebroeks' disappointment after the opening prologue. The 21-year-old crossed the line in an unimpressive 83th place, losing 23 seconds over just 4.7 kilometers-long chrono test.
Contrary to how outsiders perceived Uijtdebroeks' result, the young climber himself spoke of a good comeback after being forced to leave the Giro d'Italia last month. "It was nice to be back racing. It was a bit exciting because it was the first race effort and I had taken a step back conditionally after being sick in the Giro," indicated the Belgian in a press release.
"I tried to limit the loss as much as possible," Uijtdebroeks continued. "And that was important with a view on the general classification. The important thing is to get through the next few days as comfortable as possible. After that, the high mountains await. That's where I feel a little more comfortable. The most important conclusion of today is that the good feeling was there. That gives confidence for the coming week."
But not all hope is lost for Team Visma | Lease a Bike as the back-up leader Wilco Kelderman put in a strong performance equivalent of 11th best time on Sunday. Therefore it'll be the Dutchman who'll be the team's protected man into next days. Stages 2 and 3 will offer classic-like profiles, but knowing there are five consecutive mountain finishes yet to come from stage 4 onwards, not much action can be expected among the GC leaders.

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