Visma | Lease a Bike turns Uijtdebroeks into a winner, but will his back withstand yet another bike position?

Uijtdebroeks has been known for years as a great climbing talent, but since turning professional in 2022 with the current Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team, he has been in the spotlight more often off the bike than on it. In 2022, he won the Tour de l'Avenir, and in 2023, he finished eighth in his Grand Tour debut in the Vuelta a España. However, he then forced a transfer to Visma | Lease a Bike, despite still having a contract.

He got off to a flying start with the Dutch team, but both his Giro d'Italia and Vuelta ended in withdrawal due to the coronavirus. Uijtdebroeks continued to struggle with his time trials and was therefore unable to make the decisive step in 2024. He failed to do so in 2025 either, due to a lingering back injury, including a severe setback in the Tirreno-Adriatico. Uijtdebroeks recovered, rode a few races in France in April, but was knocked off his feet by a car during training in June.

After a new training period, Uijtdebroeks returned to racing in August with a healthy back, recovered from his accident, and full of morale. After a promising ninth place in the Clasica San Sebastián, he showed his skills again on Friday in stage 3 of the Tour de l'Ain. Uijtdebroeks attacked early on the Col du Grand Colombier and rode more than fifty kilometers alone at the front. It earned him the stage win and overall victory in the three-day French race.

These are his first victories in his fourth season as a professional. Before the start of the Tour de l'Ain, Uijtdebroeks indicated that his riding position had been adjusted, not for the first time. His back was feeling good again. ‘Unbelievable,’ he exclaimed on Friday after securing the victories. “It's been really tough over the past few months, but things were already going great in the Clasica Sán Sebastián. And now this, it's really a dream.”

Visma | Lease a Bike went all-in for Uijtdebroeks in stage 3, who was only 2 seconds behind leader Nicolas Prodhomme. The climbing talent said he learned how to win thanks to his teammates. “Prodhomme moved up into the leading group for a while, but the team recovered and then set a very high pace. On the final climb, Ben (Tulett, ed.) set a very high pace, and Jorgen (Nordhagen, ed.) also rode incredibly fast. I'm thrilled, this climb suited me well.”