“I want a say in my own training”: Uijtdebroeks enjoys more autonomy after leaving Visma | Lease a Bike

Uijtdebroeks struggled during his time at Visma | Lease a Bike and says that, among other things, the training approach simply did not suit him. “At Visma, the focus was on short, explosive training sessions, so a lot of VO2 max work. I’d personally prefer longer blocks at tempo, but there was no room for that,” he told Het Laatste Nieuws.

Having limited input was a sore point in general. “I really wanted to improve my time trial, but after Tirreno I hadn’t been on my time trial bike again—if you’re a GC rider, that just can’t happen.” When he signed, he knew the Dutch top team was heavily into data and precise training, but he did not expect it to be quite so extreme.

“Since Merijn Zeeman left, it became even more disciplined. For certain riders that works, but for a rider like me it doesn’t. I really want to be able to help decide my own training,” he said, looking back at the former sporting director’s departure. At Movistar, he says things are more flexible: some teammates even have a pastry in the morning, and not everyone weighs their food—something he considered unthinkable at Visma.

On the other hand, the team’s day-to-day language has been an adjustment, even if he speaks a little Spanish. “A lot of staff are from Pamplona and speak Spanish, but luckily my sports directors and coaches also speak English. It’s still something to work on, but with the mechanic I already mostly speak Spanish.”

That the Andorra-based Belgian feels better in his new environment is clear, but his tougher year was not only about the team. Physically, 2025 was far from smooth. Uijtdebroeks is clear about what changed: “Since my bike position was adjusted in May, I’ve been pain-free. I’m now back to almost the same position as in 2023 at Bora.” He feels physically strong and is happy with his winter numbers, but says he is not at his peak yet. “So far it’s been about building the base; I haven’t done any VO2 max training yet, and that’s crucial in preparing for racing.”

Uijtdebroeks therefore starts the Tour of Valencia without big ambitions, as his real targets come later in the season. “This race is very punchy and not a main goal for me. My focus is on the Tour of the Basque Country—my first objective and important for our team. That will be a test towards the Tour, where I’m aiming for the top ten.”

A Tour top 10 is the ultimate goal for Uijtdebroeks, with Valencia serving as an early step in that direction. “In the Tour of Valencia, we’re focusing on building the team and the time trial towards the Tour.”