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

[Red Rick]

There was a Belgian amateur somewhere around the 2010s who kept on training with the flu and he got rushed to A&E one day because his heart decided enough was enough. It happens, and you better be safe than sorry. Furthermore nearly every specialist will tell you not to do it. So if that isn't reason to not do it, I don't know what else is.

These types of discussions also remind me of the story of Bart Wellens, he got rushed to the hospital with heart failure. The media jumped on it like vultures, claiming it was doping (he tested negative obviously), then they said it was the flu but it ended up being a small tooth-infection. Which arguably is less serious than the flu and yet he nearly died because he combined it with being a pro athlete

A big part in these types of conversations is also how often people will casuall mix up a cold and a flu when the flu is actually much rarer and can be quite dangerous in itself.

 

[velaso montador]

Was sad when i saw him pull out of the race duo to sickness was curious to follow his development going into 3 week.

Chin up guess vuelta again is on the cards.

 

[Extinction]

Was sad when i saw him pull out of the race duo to sickness was curious to follow his development going into 3 week.

Chin up guess vuelta again is on the cards.

How stressed he must have been against Pogacar, so he got sick.

 

[velaso montador]

I was walking into a pub/restaurant and the exact moment i saw on tv like the same moment i sat down it came up in the screen on eurosport he had abondoned....it sucked hehe really looked forward to him and tiberi h2h.

Nothing to worrie about tho, he will get many chances and in jumbo he is in good hands plenty of chances to prove himself and develop to come.

 

[QueenStagiaire]

I was walking into a pub/restaurant and the exact moment i saw on tv like the same moment i sat down it came up in the screen on eurosport he had abondoned....it sucked hehe really looked forward to him and tiberi h2h.

Nothing to worrie about tho, he will get many chances and in jumbo he is in good hands plenty of chances to prove himself and develop to come.

A man walks into a bar. The rider in the Peloton with the least long face is forced to abandon.

 

[Berniece]

Was sad when i saw him pull out of the race duo to sickness was curious to follow his development going into 3 week.

Chin up guess vuelta again is on the cards.

Based on how everyone was riding I think he would’ve finished in the podium

 

[Netserk]

Based on how everyone was riding I think he would’ve finished in the podium

He was 1'04" behind Thomas after Tivo and would probably be twice that after the second ITT.

Martinez only took 43" seconds on Thomas after the second ITT, and I don't think there's any good reason to assume that Uijtdebroeks would have been far away the second best climber in the race.

 

[Berniece]

He was 1'04" behind Thomas after Tivo and would probably be twice that after the second ITT.

Martinez only took 43" seconds on Thomas after the second ITT, and I don't think there's any good reason to assume that Uijtdebroeks would have been far away the second best climber in the race.

We didn't have a single proper, long climb before he was sick. Which is his strength. He already showed that he was better in general at the parts he was lacking in the Vuelta last year. I'm assuming he was also better in general then.

Based on that, I think he would've been the second best climber in the race. When you look how he climbed at Tourmalet and Angliru, with a bit of improvement he would've been the second best here. It's not like Thomas was climbing like 6 years ago. Wasn't impressed by anyone besides Pogacar when it came to climbing.

 

[Netserk]

We didn't have a single proper, long climb before he was sick

I don't think he was ill on Tivo.

 

[Berniece]

I don't think he was ill on Tivo.

Everyone stayed together

 

[Netserk]

Everyone stayed together

And Uijtdebroeks would have likely stayed together with the other podium contenders on the rest of the mountain stages. As they were raced, I find it very difficult to see where he would have taken 2 minutes on Thomas. He lost time to him on all the mountain stages he rode.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Tbh, i think it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could have dropped Thomas and Martinez at one point, but to take back the time he lost in the TT's, is rather unlikely imho. It could have been a close battle for 4th and white.

 

[velaso montador]

We think Cian next race gonne be the vuelta? - Big race anyway. Dont see anything when i had my 30min cycling check on internett on his schedule now.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Tbh, i think it's not out of the realm of possibility that he could have dropped Thomas and Martinez at one point, but to take back the time he lost in the TT's, is rather unlikely imho. It could have been a close battle for 4th and white.

I think 6th was the most likely outcome. Podium was certainly out of reach and he would have had a hard time beating O'Connor and Tiberi as well.

 

[Netserk]

I think 6th was the most likely outcome. Podium was certainly out of reach and he would have had a hard time beating O'Connor and Tiberi as well.

Depending on how well he'd do in the ITT, I think he could pass Tiberi after Livigno already.

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Depending on how well he'd do in the ITT, I think he could pass Tiberi after Livigno already.

Hmm, I'm not so sure about that. I've seen nothing from Uijtdebroeks this year that suggest that he would be that much better than Tiberi. He lost a minute and a half in the first ITT and would likely have lost around the same in the second ITT. Then there's the 2 minutes that Tiberi lost due to mechanicals on stage 2 that you can substract as well.

Don't get me wrong, I think that Uijtdebroeks is a much bigger talent than Tiberi, but this year has been a big disappointment for Uijtdebroeks, although he did show some small improvements on a few occasions in the Giro.

 

[Netserk]

Hmm, I'm not so sure about that. I've seen nothing from Uijtdebroeks this year that suggest that he would be that much better than Tiberi. He lost a minute and a half in the first ITT and would likely have lost around the same in the second ITT. Then there's the 2 minutes that Tiberi lost due to mechanicals on stage 2 that you can substract as well.

Don't get me wrong, I think that Uijtdebroeks is a much bigger talent than Tiberi, but this year has been a big disappointment for Uijtdebroeks, although he did show some small improvements on a few occasions in the Giro.

Why would you subtract the Oropa time loss?

Had Uijtdebroeks not been ill and capable of following Thomas in the second week (I find that quite likely), he would have needed to finish no worse than 34th in the second ITT, 2’55” after Ganna, to be as good or better than Tiberi in GC before the third week.

Is it following Thomas in the second week you doubt, or finishing 34th in the ITT?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Why would you subtract the Oropa time loss?

Had Uijtdebroeks not been ill and capable of following Thomas in the second week (I find that quite likely), he would have needed to finish no worse than 34th in the second ITT, 2’55” after Ganna, to be as good or better than Tiberi in GC before the third week.

Is it following Thomas in the second week you doubt, or finishing 34th in the ITT?

If you're playing the game of what if, why would you only take Uijtdebroeks' misfortune into account and not anyone else's?

 

[Netserk]

If you're playing the game of what if, why would you only take Uijtdebroeks' misfortune into account and not anyone else's?

Because the question in the thread wasn't whether he was the 6th or 4th best GT rider in the Giro, but what he could have achieved if he wasn't ill.

When you responded to Logic, do you think his statement was about the counterfactual Giro where Tiberi had no time loss due to mechanicals?

 

[Hugo Koblet]

Because the question in the thread wasn't whether he was the 6th or 4th best GT rider in the Giro, but what he could have achieved if he wasn't ill.

When you responded to Logic, do you think his statement was about the counterfactual Giro where Tiberi had no time loss due to mechanicals?

I thought his statement was about the counterfactual Giro where you not only take stuff into account that fits your own narrative. But I'm beginning to think I was wrong.

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

I think the question was, what would have happened if he hadn't fallen ill. At that point Tiberi already lost time due to a mechanical. Of course, had Tiberi not lost time due to a mechanical, things would have looked different as well. What also should be taken into account, is that the stages that suited Uijtdebroeks, where all stages that he didn't get to ride. In fact, i expected him to have lost more time in week 1, but he passed that test except for the TT, which is still subpar. I believe he could have battled for 4th and white regardless. I don't think that's unrealistic. I didn't claim he would definitely have won the battle for 4th and white.

 

[Netserk]

Unfathomable how useless he has been this year. He's had a protected role in all races he has done, and he has achieved nothing. Has been of no help to his teammates.

Has he said anything about what the rest of his season looks like after his early exit of the Giro? Vuelta?

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Unfathomable how useless he has been this year. He's had a protected role in all races he has done, and he has achieved nothing. Has been of no help to his teammates.

Has he said anything about what the rest of his season looks like after his early exit of the Giro? Vuelta?

He had one goal, the Giro. He was well underway to finish top 5 there, but he fell ill. He finished 7th in TIrreno, 5th in Camino. I assume his status in the team was part of what was negotiated. Imho, he is also a rider that has very limited options working for teammates, simply because he is so extremely diesel and devoid of acceleration. Basically borderline useless as a domestique.

For the moment a lot needs to change if he wants to become a rider that strikes fear into rivals. Laughable TT, acceleration of a turtle, suspect descending. But hard to drop on a good day.