🎥 Out of the spotlight but not forgotten: Visma talent quietly working on comeback in the mountains

He was perhaps the revelation of the 2023 Vuelta. Uijtdebroeks surprised everyone by finishing eighth in the GC at 20. He wasn't even a GC contender but an important domestique for Aleksandr Vlasov, who eventually finished seventh but was not much better than Uijtdebroeks at that point.

Visma | Lease a Bike, known for developing young talent, quickly signed him up. After much drama, the young climber finally signed a multi-year contract with the Dutch team. In his first year, Uijtdebroeks was immediately selected as a contender for the Giro d'Italia. The always good-humored Belgian started strong but had to withdraw due to illness.

Uijtdebroeks was then given another chance to prove himself in the Vuelta, but the next problem arose: a numb feeling in his legs, which led him to decide not to continue in the fifteenth stage. After extensive examination, it appeared that the Belgian was suffering from nerve damage in his back.

During the winter, he worked hard to ensure that this injury would not play any more tricks on him, and for a while, it seemed to be going in the right direction. Uijtdebroeks finished fifth in the final classification of the Tour of Oman. Unfortunately, that joy was short-lived: two months later, the unpleasant feeling returned, and he had to give up, visibly emotional, in the Tirreno-Adriatico.

After that, we didn't hear anything more from the 22-year-old rider, but now he shows something hopeful on his Instagram page. Uijtdebroeks is currently training in Andorra and has shared a few photos with the captions: "The only way is up" and "Step by step building that foundation again."

It remains to be seen when we will see him back in action. The talented Belgian is on the provisional start list for the Tour de Suisse and the Tour of Poland. The Swiss stage race takes place in June, while the Polish race is scheduled for early August. Hopefully, we will see a strong Uijtdebroeks again in one of these races, as we know him from previous performances.