"With Visma, I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to do that..." - Cian Uijtdebroeks very eager to kick off racing with Movistar

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.

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.”

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.”

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.”