Visma | LaB explains Uijtdebroeks absence in Romandie and admits prologue left them wanting more: "A bit disappointed"

Anyone checking the results of the Tour de Romandie prologue, won by Samuel Watson (INEOS Grenadiers), would find the first Visma | Lease a Bike rider down in 15th place. Nineteen-year-old Matthew Brennan finished seven seconds off the winning time, leaving the Killer Bees feeling a bit disappointed. The team also explained the absence of Cian Uijtdebroeks.

"We came here aiming for more," team boss Maarten Wynants admitted honestly on the team website after the race. "We had hoped to fight for the podium, but unfortunately it did not work out." Brennan’s 15th place finish left the young Brit feeling frustrated. "Matthew was a bit disappointed. He did not really understand where he lost those seven seconds. A prologue is always fair, so we just have to accept it. Tomorrow brings a new opportunity."

The goals for the Dutch team this week at the Tour de Romandie are clear: target a strong overall result with Jørgen Nordhagen and chase stage wins with Brennan. "I believe there will be opportunities over the next three days, with tomorrow offering the biggest chance," Wynants said, expressing confidence in Brennan’s prospects for Wednesday’s stage. "Victory will not come easy though, as the riders will face a tough course. We will have to fight hard for it."

While the Killer Bees are now focused on a strong overall result with young Jørgen Nordhagen, the original plan had been to aim for the GC with Cian Uijtdebroeks. The Belgian returned to racing in France in mid-March after a difficult period, but the 22-year-old was unable to make a real impact.

"In France, it became clear that Cian’s condition was not where it needed to be," Wynants explained to Sporza before the start of the Romandie prologue. "That is why we decided to pull him out of Romandie and give him more time to build back up. He needs to reach his top level again if he wants to compete at WorldTour standard."

The decision was made in full agreement with Uijtdebroeks himself. "He is realistic about where he stands. He came back to racing, and it was clear that we need more time to rebuild. There is still work to do for Cian, and that is what we will focus on in the coming weeks," Wynants concluded.

Whereas a good classification with the young Nordhagen is now the goal of the Killer Bees, that was first the plan with Uijtdebroeks. The Belgian returned to racing in France in mid-March - after a difficult month - but there the still only 22-year-old rider could not play a real role of significance.

'In France it turned out that Cian's condition is not yet as it should be,' Wynants explained at Sporza before the start of the prologue in Romandie. 'That's why we decided to take him off Romandie and give him a little more time to build up. He needs to be at level again to compete at WorldTour level again.'

So that decision was made in consultation with the Belgian. 'He is realistic in how things stand. He had returned to competition and there it appeared that we still need more time to build up. There is still work to do for Cian, as it turned out. And we will do that in the coming weeks," Wynants concluded.