"With Visma, I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to do that..." - Cian Uijtdebroeks very eager to kick off racing with Movistar
Cycling
Cian Uijtdebroeks has become Movistar Team’s marquee signing, a move that marks a significant step in the Spanish team’s strategy to strengthen its Grand Tour presence. After leaving Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the young Belgian arrives with the ambition to grow as a three-week racer and add depth to the roster at the most important races on the calendar.
The rider expressed his delight with his new team and his surprise at the level of professionalism he found at Movistar. With Het Nieuwsblad, Uijtdebroeks highlighted the strength of the structure, the personalized focus on nutrition and wellbeing, and a shared vision to grow together at Grand Tours, which fuels his enthusiasm for this new phase of his career—contrasting, for example, with what led his former Visma teammate Matteo Jorgenson to leave the team.
Objectives and team switch
Uijtdebroeks spoke about his decision to leave Visma and sign for Movistar, explaining that his main goal is to improve as a Grand Tour rider and that he needed a team that would let him pursue that target.
“My goal has always been to improve as a Grand Tour rider, and the best way to achieve that is to be able to race them. With Visma, I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to do that in 2026. Then you’re no longer on the same wavelength. I started looking for a team that matched my ambition, and Movistar is the perfect fit. We can grow together in the Grand Tours. Don’t forget I spoke with them before signing with Bora.”
Movistar Team’s structure and support
The rider also emphasised the importance of Movistar’s support structure, especially in areas such as nutrition and personal wellbeing, which he considers essential to his development.
“For now, I find it a very professional fit. I receive a nutrition plan every day, not through an app, but from a specialist who speaks directly to me and makes adjustments when needed. I think we could be a good match. I’m a rider who sometimes loses touch with his feelings. The team will bring that out of me, asking: Cian, yes, your numbers are good, but do you also feel good as a person? That could definitely work.”
Cian Uijtdebroeks, star of Movistar Team’s presentation
Personal life and sacrifices
Uijtdebroeks reflected on the challenge of balancing personal life with a professional career and how he and his partner Magdeleine Vallières, women's world champion, share a common vision of sacrifice to reach their dreams.
“And after Guangxi, I was already at a training camp with my new Spanish friends. It’s not always easy to see each other often, but we share the same vision. Our mutual dream has always been to become great cyclists, and that doesn’t happen without sacrifice. We have to make it happen over the next 10 to 15 years. Our lives are like this now, chasing the dream.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- The road from Holyrood to Edinburgh Castle is a nice steady climb of just over a mile that is cobbled in many parts. (Very slippery if wet!) If the teams are going by one by one that will give fans an even better view of the riders up close than the castle esplanade.Cyclingsbestfan07-11-2026
- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Hmmm, you seem to have a very convenient black and white view of things. Perhaps you haven’t been around much to discover how complex problems can become over time with people who know how to control, manipulate (or worse) others so gradually or subtly that you arrive at an irresolvable situation before you realise. This is how many inconveniences get introduced to the young, naïve, passionate or “desperate”, knowing they are not armed, protected or strong enough to defend themselves once it’s too late. Why do you think omerta culture is so widespread, why do you think so many people continue to go through so many awful things in life that others can’t understand anyone getting into? Life may be far more jolly for you but you would do well to understand (or reflect more on) the real world to refrain from being so quick to criticise those in a hard spot that may have genuine reason for speaking out.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Seriously do you think when somebody gets into a serious accident, the ambulance is called by the hurt person?🤦 there is always a buddy system in place for a risky job. police , firefighters etc so that if someone gets hurt, the other call that in.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- 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
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