Visma-Lease a Bike have announced that up-and-coming Belgian racer Cian Uijtdebroeks has ended his rollercoaster Vuelta a España early, pulling out before stage 15 with COVID-19. The team shared on their Twitter account: “We are sad to communicate that Cian Uijtdebroeks will have to withdraw from La Vuelta due to a Covid infection. We wish Cian a speedy recovery. Get well soon, Cian!”
Uijtdebroeks, who finished eighth in last year’s Vuelta a España, came into the Grand Tour with hopes of racing as Visma’s ‘Plan B’ alongside defending champion Sepp Kuss. However, the first week in the heat of southern Spain wrecked his General Classification (GC) hopes, leaving him to describe a “paralysed feeling” in his legs. On stage 10, the first in the north of Spain, he finished second last, making an abandon seem likely.
Despite these struggles, Uijtdebroeks showed resilience in the second week. On Saturday’s final ascent, he performed a tremendous turn on the first-category Leitariegos climb, ensuring Wout van Aert was positioned for the reduced bunch sprint at Villablino.
Speaking to *Sporza* before the stage 14 start, Uijtdebroeks reflected, “The early days of the Vuelta were difficult for me, but now things are sometimes going a bit better, like yesterday [Friday]. I didn’t feel that bad on the climb [the Ancares]… But it was not at all comparable to the first day after the rest day.”
Uijtdebroeks is not alone in withdrawing due to COVID-19. Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) pulled out before stage 9, and Thymen Arensman and Laurens de Plus (both Ineos Grenadiers), Harold López (Astana), Patrick Konrad (Lidl-Trek), and Cofidis’ Ruben Fernández have also left the race for the same reason.
This marks the second Visma-Lease a Bike rider to quit the Vuelta early, following Dylan van Baarle’s departure on stage 2 after a severe crash resulted in a broken hip.
Main photo credit: Getty
