"They're going to have to convince me to ride the Tour" - Cian Uijtdebroeks has no plans to debut at Grande Boucle in 2025
Cycling
Despite his best efforts, Cian Ujitdebroeks had a season to forget in his new team colours. After a dramatic departure from BORA - hansgrohe last winter, he had hoped to quickly assert himself as one of the leaders in the top team Visma | Lease a Bike. But the whole was struck with poor luck in 2024 and the 21-year-old Uijtdebroeks was no exception as he was forced to abandon both Grand Tours this year.
"I've been in the gym more than on the bike the past few weeks. I've become a bodybuilder," Uijtdebroeks tells Sporza. The gym sessions are the result of a problem in his lower back, which caused Uijtdebroeks to suffer from a "paralyzing feeling in my legs" during the Vuelta, resulting in collapses in mountain stages.
"At first I thought it was a pinched femoral artery. Tests showed that I had a problem in my lower back, where many nerves run to my legs. That explained the numbing feeling," he explained. "I did a lot of strengthening exercises for my back and the region around my pelvis. The muscle-strengthening exercises and the new cycling position are paying off, because I can now complete interval training again without pain."
How does Uijtdebroeks view the coming season? "With a lot of motivation. We are busy with discussions about the approach and my program. More clarity about that will be available in the coming weeks. I will remain a GC rider and the stage races (and grand tours) will therefore remain the focus."
Is a Tour debut an option? "I'm personally not the biggest fan of doing the Tour now. They're going to have to convince me," laughs Uijtdebroeks, who is also waiting to see what the Giro route will look like. After a debut when it seemed like he could land in the final top-5, Uijtdebroeks was forced to abandon with illness half-way through. Yet this will only fuel his desire to return even stronger.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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