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Teams & Riders Cian Uijtdebroeks - From the wetlands to the top of cycling

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Van Aert is not José De Cauwer. It's clear he's perfectly satisfied at Jumbo. Of course that can change in the future, as it did for Roglic. At the end of 2025 he only has one year contract left so that will be a moment of negotiation anyway.

I don't know why it's bad for cycling that riders can choose which team they want to ride for. As long as it's done in a manner that's satisfactory (or at least not extremely damaging) to all parties involved. Like Jumbo did with Roglic, and like has happened many times before, with riders like Wiggins and Dennis.

Apples & oranges.

Young riders are particularly sought after hot commodities. This Uijtdebroeks case cannot be treated like the rest.
 
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I think if cian succeeds in terminating his contract and joining Visma he fears Remco will force his way out aswell.

It would have huge consequences. It cuts both ways as well, i.e. if a rider can leave his team & contract unilaterally without consequence, then the reverse should apply, right? Aka an underperforming rider with 13 months left on his contract could simply be terminated & fired based on the same moral premise, basically. Adios.

I think it's quite clear that Jumbo announced the rider signing prematurely in order to pressurize Bora into accepting a fait accompli.
 
It would have huge consequences. It cuts both ways as well, i.e. if a rider can leave his team & contract unilaterally without consequence, then the reverse should apply, right? Aka an underperforming rider with 13 months left on his contract could simply be terminated & fired based on the same moral premise, basically. Adios.

I think it's quite clear that Jumbo announced the rider signing prematurely in order to pressurize Bora into accepting a fait accompli.
I know a team that would very much show the door to a very expensive none performing rider. :rolleyes:
 
All in all the time has i guess come for Bora to beat Visma on the road. Fingers crossed!

P.S. The rest will sort itself out over time.
I‘m worried most now for bike brand Specialized.

Uijtdebroeks lets Specialized and Bora now look like idiots. He signs in for Chrono des Nations, which of course is great for us fans. Then he rides weakly there, and lets it look as if bike manufacturer and team mechanics are to blame for him losing 1:26mins on Frederik Muff. At least Cian beat Mathias Ribeiro da Cruz by twelve seconds.

Instead of being ashamed for this ITT, and hiding next four months in an altitude mountain hut somewhere high up on Teide, Uijtdebroeks attacks Ralph and his men, who treated Cian like their own son. Ralph probably would have cleaned Cian‘s toilet with his own hands - that‘s how Cian was adored by Ralph et al..

And Specialized now suffered this disappointment with Remco, now loses Cian… Sagan retires. Difficult times for the bike brand.
 

Reading this i see that Cian was well treated by Bora. He acknowledges he made much progress at Bora and was scheduled to ride Giro in 2024. So at Bora progress, much freedom to pursue personal goals ... All that was involved. If he will end up riding Giro for Visma in 2024. Then the situation in regards to TT bikes should become much clearer. Due to 2024 edition being heavy on TT. Best to wait and see.

P.S. So van Aert to work for Cian at Visma? There goes my interest in seeing van Aert riding for GC at Giro 2024.
 
P.S. So van Aert to work for Cian at Visma? There goes my interest in seeing van Aert riding for GC at Giro 2024.
I think the news of van Aert debuting in Giro and Vuelta, and now maybe being domestique for Uijtdebroeks, distract from what 2024 should be all about for van Aert: winning at the monuments, the WCs (Road) and the Olympics.

If Wout „loses“ still another year or two, people will start asking when he will want to start winning at these races. RVV, Roubaix, WC RR, OG RR. It‘ll be „make or break“ some time soon, for him.

Interestingly this possible Uijtdebroeks transfer distracts a bit from Visma‘s plans for the 2024 Classic Flandrien Spring campaign. I expect a lot from the arrival of Jorgenson, which will an extremely important man for Wout and Laporte.

Uijtdebroeks will want to spend a lot of time with Vingegaard. Gloag, Staune-Mittet and such guys will want to shape Uijtdebroeks‘s entourage asap. Good thing is, no time needed to find out what pro races suit Uijtdebroeks best. For him, it‘s all about winning the GC of the TdF asap.

Probably Cian is strong as 2019 Bernal. Very good climber, decent time trialist, with endurance for three weeks.
 

Reading this i see that Cian was well treated by Bora. He acknowledges he made much progress at Bora and was scheduled to ride Giro in 2024. So at Bora progress, much freedom to pursue personal goals ... All that was involved. If he will end up riding Giro for Visma in 2024. Then the situation in regards to TT bikes should become much clearer. Due to 2024 edition being heavy on TT. Best to wait and see.

P.S. So van Aert to work for Cian at Visma? There goes my interest in seeing van Aert riding for GC at Giro 2024.
Just read that and, wow, this guy sounds toxic. He might go on to win the Tour 8 times, but at this point in time I’d probably view a compensated exit as the best possible outcome for Bora. Riders like that can really hurt a team’s morale and performance. He was supported to 8th in the Vuelta at 20 and he was still throwing out threats about the team needing to be able to support his GT ambitions if he will leave. Give me a break.
 
I cannot see how vanAert would possibly ride for Cian at Giro. I think the kid needs to smacked in the head. And his parents too.
Van Aert will have a free-role in the Giro. Stages and points-jersey.

Cian rides GC with the help of potentially any of Valter, Gloag, Tulett, Staune-Mittet, Bouwman, Gesink, Lemmen, Vader... or whatever team they might decide to go for.
 
Van Aert will have a free-role in the Giro. Stages and points-jersey.

Cian rides GC with the help of potentially any of Valter, Gloag, Tulett, Staune-Mittet, Bouwman, Gesink, Lemmen, Vader... or whatever team they might decide to go for.

Unless i guess the ideal scenario happens for Cian and he is in contention to win? Considering all big names targeting Tour in 2024. Unless that changes i guess. The next question i guess is what team is Bora bringing to the Giro. Will be interesting to see this dynamics. On who finishes ahead.
 
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Just read that and, wow, this guy sounds toxic. He might go on to win the Tour 8 times, but at this point in time I’d probably view a compensated exit as the best possible outcome for Bora. Riders like that can really hurt a team’s morale and performance. He was supported to 8th in the Vuelta at 20 and he was still throwing out threats about the team needing to be able to support his GT ambitions if he will leave. Give me a break.
Gonna be some hilarious Unzué vs. Carapaz antics if he does go. Might be the most entertaining thing about the Jumbo show next season, actually.

If he stays I'd love to see Denk just sit him the whole season, self-sabotage or not. Staple him to the bench. Or, seeing as that might actually constitute a genuine reason to break the contract, try to tank his value by sending him to races he isn't suited to. If he's not motivated to ride for you he'll probably not put in the effort anyway, so may as well have him not put in the effort in situations where that won't harm the team, right?
 
Exactly, he has his motives.
Shouldn't everyone interested in the well-being of professional cycling have the same motives? Granted, I don't know everything about this situation, but if you can break contracts as you see fit without any consequences, then what's the point of a contract? The whole system will collapse. Will be interesting to see what comes out of this. Jumbo and Cian haven't really done themselves any PR favours anyway.
 
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Gonna be some hilarious Unzué vs. Carapaz antics if he does go. Might be the most entertaining thing about the Jumbo show next season, actually.

If he stays I'd love to see Denk just sit him the whole season, self-sabotage or not. Staple him to the bench. Or, seeing as that might actually constitute a genuine reason to break the contract, try to tank his value by sending him to races he isn't suited to. If he's not motivated to ride for you he'll probably not put in the effort anyway, so may as well have him not put in the effort in situations where that won't harm the team, right?

I think Bora would still genuinely send him to the Giro. But if he isn't motivated & performs badly, then it's not just the team that suffers, it's his own career. He'd be shooting himself in the foot & torpedoing his own prospects.

In any case, unless there's some sort of unknown here regarding his contract with Bora (aka a get out clause which can be successfully argued in court), contrary to some speculation online today (like Benji Naesen on X) I don't see how Uijtdebroeks can ride for Visma next season. A contract is a contract. I expect him to be barred from competing under Visma colors. I'd be amazed if the UCI simply shrugged & said "okay, he can ride for Visma whilst this gets sorted in the courts".

Even that would set a crazy precedent which could destroy the actual system in place. So IMO the transfer is going to get blocked & he'll be sent back to Denk.
 
I think Bora would still genuinely send him to the Giro. But if he isn't motivated & performs badly, then it's not just the team that suffers, it's his own career. He'd be shooting himself in the foot & torpedoing his own prospects.

In any case, unless there's some sort of unknown here regarding his contract with Bora (aka a get out clause which can be successfully argued in court), contrary to some speculation online today (like Benji Naesen on X) I don't see how Uijtdebroeks can ride for Visma next season. A contract is a contract. I expect him to be barred from competing under Visma colors. I'd be amazed if the UCI simply shrugged & said "okay, he can ride for Visma whilst this gets sorted in the courts".

Even that would set a crazy precedent which could destroy the actual system in place. So IMO the transfer is going to get blocked & he'll be sent back to Denk.
Lol, Benji Naesen giving the speculation that most favours Jumbo, who would ever have guessed that.

It'd be like asking me to post news about Peter Sagan and expecting objectivity.
 
Shouldn't everyone interested in the well-being of professional cycling have the same motives? Granted, I don't know everything about this situation, but if you can break contracts as you see fit without any consequences, then what's the point of a contract? The whole system will collapse. Will be interesting to see what comes out of this. Jumbo and Cian haven't really done themselves any PR favours anyway.
If the termination is actually valid, then what?

This is surely jumping the gun a bit.