Cian Uijtdebroeks is starting to feel fully integrated into Visma-Lease a Bike. The 20-year-old Belgian has managed to completely overcome the challenges of his tumultuous transfer from BORA-hansgrohe and can now fully focus on his main objective this season: the Giro d’Italia.
New coach
‘Yes, I feel better about myself. Every training day that goes perfectly makes me happy. If I improved by one percent, then I will be a happy Cian,” he told Het Nieuwsblad. The causes of his happiness can be found in many facets.
A new coach and a perfectionist culture within the Dutch team, something that suits Uijtdebroeks perfectly. At Visma-Lease a Bike he now works with Tim Heemskerk, the man who guided Jonas Vingegaard to two Tour victories.
“Have a good rest, Cian”
‘He knows what I need. With his knowledge, I should improve, slowly, step by step. Although, for now, Tim emphasizes that I get plenty of rest. (laughs) I always like to be busy, but recovery is equally important. “Have a good rest, Cian,” is what Tim says most often.
Just like me, they want to get the most out of every workout. Merijn Zeeman is my regular running coach. He also exploited me, so to speak. He already knows me inside and out. Mathieu Heijboer has also been with me since I was young. They already know everything about me. This makes everything much easier.
Quality not always present at BORA-Hansgrohe
The material also has a very high quality seal, which was not always the case with BORA-Hansgrohe. “We all have two bikes,” says Uijtdebroeks. “An aerodynamic model and a climbing bike. Changing bikes for certain races takes some getting used to.”
“I don’t have to worry about materials. I’ve lost that stress and that’s a luxury. So I just need to focus on training and resting.”
Tips from Jonas Vingegaard
The Belgian also received tips from Vingegaard and Kuss about the Time Trial, one of Uijtdebroeks’ areas of work. “This is a project that will take several years. Now I ride my time trial bike regularly and we are still looking for the best position, where I can apply all my power”.
“Only when we find the best configuration do we begin fine-tuning in the wind tunnel. I already talked to Jonas Vingegaard about the effect of flexibility exercises for Time Trial”, concludes Cian Uijtdebroeks.