"There is something wrong with my airways, because I have been coughing all day" - Cian Uijtdebroeks struggles to 12th placed finish on stage 16 of La Vuelta

When Jonas Vingegaard attacked clear on the final climb of the day on stage 16 of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana, the lack of a reaction from Jumbo-Visma's rivals was curious. Cian Uijtdebroeks at least seems to have a reason for his lack of response.

"I didn't feel great," the 20-year-old Belgian told Sporza in his post-stage interview after coming home in 12th, 1:13 down on Vingegaard. "There is something wrong with my airways, because I have been coughing all day. So these were not ideal circumstances. I tried to be there, at an arrival that didn't really suit me. If you base that on that, today went well."

Despite losing a bit of time, Uijtdebroeks remains in 9th overall, comfortably inside the top-10 of the general classification in his debut Grand Tour. The difference between Uijtdebroeks, the rest of the challengers and Jumbo-Visma however has been stark.

"Jumbo-Visma's dominance was very extreme. They rode very fast all day. My power meter showed an average of 300 watts. That team is going to be very difficult to beat," he admits before concluding with a preview of the infamous Angliru climb. "I recently asked my trainer if it was a good idea to explore the climb, but he said it was better not. Otherwise I would have been mentally broken on the day we mounted him in the Vuelta, he told me."