Cian Uijtdebroeks already eyeing revenge, thanks 21-year-old Visma | LaB development rider for launch

Uijtdebroeks had high hopes for a result and had his teammates set the pace early on. “As a team, we showed how strong we are. The guys worked incredibly hard all day. We had a plan going in, and we executed it perfectly. Thomas (Gloag, ed.) set a steady tempo on the lower slopes, and then William put in a brilliant effort to launch me,” he said, referring to the 21-year-old Smith, who was riding one of his first races with the pro squad.

“I launched and immediately got a gap. Unfortunately, the climb wasn’t quite steep enough to shake the others,” Uijtdebroeks explained via the team’s official channels. “It was a fairly long climb, and if you’re sitting on a wheel, you save a lot of energy. Unfortunately, no one wanted to help pull.” In the end, both Lecerf and Alessandro Fancuello (UKYO) beat him in the sprint.

Still, Uijtdebroeks isn’t dwelling on the result. “I think we delivered a really strong performance as a team. The power is definitely there, and I’m feeling positive about what’s to come,” said the Belgian, who knows the terrain well. “Sunday’s climb is much steeper than today’s. That suits us better. We’ve already shown how strong we are in the mountains, so we’ll go for revenge on Sunday.”

Junior Lecerf and his Soudal Quick-Step squad will do everything they can to keep Uijtdebroeks and Visma at bay. “This feels amazing! I’ve worked really hard and I’m happy to be rewarded with this win. I want to thank the team for controlling the race,” said the stage winner. “As soon as the climb started, the tactic was to follow and trust my sprint.” And that plan paid off.

“It definitely helped that I knew the finish from a few years ago. I picked the right moment to attack. Once I had a gap, I didn’t hesitate, I just went all in," said the climber. "So far, this has been a great race for us. On Saturday, we’ll try to support Luke again, and on Sunday we’re going all-in for a strong GC result.”