Uijtdebroeks and Visma | Lease a Bike breathe a sigh of relief after Giro start with a "stage that did not suit us on paper"

Visma | Lease a Bike saw their lead general classification rider Cian Uijtdebroeks perform strongly in the opening stage of the Giro d'Italia in and around Turin on Saturday. The Belgian, not particularly known for his explosiveness, finished fourteenth in the stage won by Jhonatan Narváez. Additionally, Attila Valter finished a commendable ninth.

It wasn't all smooth sailing for the Dutch team: Edoardo Affini's rear tire blew off, and Robert Gesink had a nasty fall, the full extent of the damage still unclear. The rider from the Netherlands got back on his bike fairly quickly, but ultimately finished in the last gruppetto.

Nevertheless, team director Marc Reef was largely satisfied, as he stated through the team's channels. "We knew beforehand that it would be difficult to follow Tadej Pogacar on the San Vito, so ending up in the chasing group was a good result. Additionally, Olav Kooij, Tim van Dijke, Christophe Laporte, and Affini finished without any issues."

Visma | Lease a Bike and Uijtdebroeks gain confidence

"This was a stage that did not suit us on paper. Our goal was to keep Cian as well positioned as possible, which we managed successfully. When some of the general classification riders started to drop back, Cian was still climbing with ease," Reef clarified, with Uijtdebroeks echoing the sentiment. "This result gives me confidence. It's great to know that you can keep up with the stronger riders in the peloton. My legs felt good, which is not always a given after a long training period."

"I felt fresh on the Colle Maddalena. It was a longer climb, that suited me better. I struggled more on the climbs of the San Vito, which were much more explosive. Also, I was too far back, so I had to make up some positions," said the Belgian. "All in all, we can look back on a good day. I finished in a nice group with other general classification riders. I am grateful to the team for their efforts along the way. From now on, we will take it day by day," concludes Uijtdebroeks.