AFPCian Uijtdebroeks showed himself among the best in his first Vuelta.
NOS Wielrennen•vandaag, 19:23
Is it a transfer stunt or will it be a transfer soap? Visma-Lease A Bike (now Jumbo-Visma) announced on Saturday the arrival of top talent Cian Uijtdebroeks (20). The Belgian would be contracted for four years until the end of 2027.
Classification rider and climber Uijtdebroeks could in the future become a successor to Primoz Roglic, who just switched to Bora-hansgrohe. “We see a future leader of our team in Cian,” said sporting director Merijn Zeeman on the team website.
However, his current team Bora-hansgrohe denies the move and keeps him under his contract, which expires at the end of 2024. The German team stated this shortly after the message from Visma-Lease A Bike.
Uijtdebroeks’ management agency, the Swiss A&J Sports of Alex and Johnny Carera (also manager of Tadej Pogacar), announced in a statement that Uijtdebroeks has terminated his contract with Bora-hansgrohe as of December 1.
Legal action has also been taken in his name against his old employer and the UCI has also been informed. The statement from his management ends with: “Cian is really looking forward to working at Visma-Lease A Bike from next season.”
Instagram | CianuijtdebroeksThe management of Cian Uijtdebroeks states that the Belgian rider has terminated his contract with Bora-hansgrohe as of December 1.
Both Jumbo-Visma and Bora-hansgrohe do not want to comment on the situation at this time.
Eighth in Vuelta
In his first year as a professional, climber Uijtdebroeks impressed with places of honor in the rankings of the Tour de Romandie (6th), the Tour of Switzerland (7th) and the Tour of Catalonia (9th).
In the Vuelta he was one of the few who could compete for a long time with the supreme Jumbo leaders Sepp Kuss, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic. And while he could not count on the support of his teammate Aleksander Vlasov.
Ultimately, the cheerful Uijtdebroeks finished eighth in his first big round, one place behind his leader Vlasov.
‘Following Cian since juniors’
As a promise, the Belgian won the prestigious Tour of the Future, ahead of Johannes Staune-Mittet, Michel Hessmann and Archie Ryan from the Jumbo-Visma training team. The Norwegian Staune-Mittet (winner of the last Giro for promises) will also switch to the main force of Visma-Lease A Bike next year.
“We have been following Cian since he was a junior,” Zeeman explains. “When the opportunity arose to sign Cian on December 1, we did not hesitate for a moment. Cian is a perfect match for our team. He is extremely eager to develop himself in all areas. We are happy that he has worked for us and our approach. chosen.”
2023-12-09 18:23:42
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