After struggling to finish with a broken ankle on stage 4, Cian Uijtdebroeks' suffering comes to an end at the Vuelta a España

Cian Uijtdebroeks’ 2026 season has gone from bad to worse at the Vuelta a España. The Movistar rider crashed on day two, sustaining a hairline fracture in his ankle. He bravely struggled through the first mountain stage in his hometown in Andorra, finishing a dismal last and bursting into tears at the line. A day later, on Wednesday morning, his ordeal came to an end as he abandoned the Vuelta a España.

"On Monday, the first two hours were a real struggle," the Belgian told HLN after stage 3. "Walking is difficult, but fortunately I don’t have to walk. We’ll have to see. At the moment, the doctors say I can carry on. It can’t really get any worse than this. If anything happens, I’ll just have to suffer even more."

During the stage, Uijtdebroeks was one of the first to drop back and eventually crossed the line last. The fact that he is still allowed to remain in the Vuelta is down to the organisers extending the time limit the day before: alongside him, Jasha Sütterlin, Hamish McKenzie (Jayco), Arthur Kluckers (Tudor), Marc Brustenga (Kern Pharma), Lindsay De Vylder, Sente Sentjens (Alpecin) and Gianni Moscon (Red Bull) were also lucky.

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Uijtdebroeks broke down in tears after the finish. ‘I just don’t feel the pain anymore,’ he said, sniffling, before his team-mates came to his support. His team also offered words of encouragement to the Belgian, as the mood was high following Enric Mas’s strong performance.

‘Cian, you have no idea how proud we are of you. You gave it your all to finish this stage, in what has been a very difficult year for you, during which, when luck wasn’t on your side, you showed what you’re capable of. You’re a fighter. And we have no doubt that you’ll prove that once again,’ said Movistar in the accompanying footage.

On Wednesday morning, Uijtdebroeks’ ordeal came to a definitive end. ‘Cian Uijtdebroeks will not be at the start of the Vuelta on Wednesday,’ his team announced on X. Another setback, of course, for Uijtdebroeks, but given the emotions on Tuesday, it seems a perfectly logical decision.

The team explains: ‘Following further tests and examinations on the rider, it has been established that the injury, caused by the crash during the second stage, is more serious than initially estimated. The team has decided that Cian should withdraw from the race so that he can begin his recovery as soon as possible.’