Cian Uijtdebroeks, the talented young Belgian rider who has shown real Grand Tour potential, is breaking his contract early at Bora-hansgrohe and will ride for Visma-Lease a Bike, who described him as a future leader of the team.
The 20-year-old - a Tour de l'Avenir winner last year and 8th overall in La Vuelta in September - had been critical of Bora-hansgrohe several times in his recent public comments.
He spoke negatively about the German team's efforts to improve his TT position, saying the team was far behind other World Tour squads. And during the Vuelta he also said his team mate, Aleksandr Vlasov, only rode to beat him in the final general classification.
During the Vuelta, when trying to gain placings in the top 10, he said it would be difficult because "the competition comes from my own team, as we have seen in previous stages".
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He added: “Hopefully everyone is correct and we don't do anything stupid. It would be stupid to let João Almeida gain another place because Vlasov would attack me.”
More recently, after he suffered issues with his bike and spare bike at the Chrono des Nations TT, he said "there is always something to do with the material at Bora”, adding "I came here to learn, but it would be nice if my bikes were in order”.
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He also complained his TT position was very poor and blamed the team, saying: "Riders like Evenepoel and Ayuso have a CDA (coefficient of aerodynamic drag) of 1.5. I'm at 1.9 to 2.0. I just lose minutes with that. The planning for this winter has yet to be drawn up. But it seems obvious to me that there is work waiting for the team."
That unhappiness with Bora-hansgrohe, and the fact Visma-Lease a Bike team boss, Richard Plugge, recently said he would love to sign Uijtdebroeks mean the late winter transfer is not surprising.
The arrival of Primož Roglič at Bora-hansgrohe will also result in much of the team's efforts going into helping him try to win the Tour de France this year. And that focus on Roglič essentially cancels out the big advantage for Uijtdebroeks at Bora-hansgrohe, namely the absence of a top tier Grand Tour rider who can challenge at the Tour de France.
"I am delighted to be joining Team Visma-Lease a Bike," said Uijtdebroeks in a team statement this evening confirming the news of his signing. "It has proven to be a leading team in recent years.
"And it was absolutely outstanding in 2023, winning the three Grand Tours. It is an honour to learn from guys like Jonas, Wout and Sepp. I am looking forward to start with Team Visma-Lease a Bike."
Merijn Zeeman, Visma-Lease a Bike sportive directeur, said the team "didn't hesitate" when it became clear from December 1st it could sign the young Belgian.
"Cian is a perfect fit for our team. He wants to develop in all areas. We are happy that he has chosen us and our approach. In the coming years, the focus will be on improvement and growth. He can learn from our top riders like Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert and Sepp Kuss. We see Cian as a future leader of our team."
