It almost certainly wouldn’t have worried Pogacar, but Uijtdebroeks’ exit from the Giro certainly deprived everyday life of a disturbing element. Whether it was for the white jersey or a podium finish, the Belgian from Visma-Lease a Bike would certainly have attacked. And at that point some balance behind the pink jersey could have changed.
In these days we found him competing in the Tour de Suisse, a race that in 2023 finished in ninth place with some good action in the mountains. His path in the Dutch team was hit by identical misfortune. Let’s be clear, 2023 was not blessed with the best fate either: we remember well the troubles at the start of the Giro and the last-minute substitutions. That Jumbo Visma, however, was so full of champions in top form that it had no problem ending the year in triumph. This year, once Roglic left, bad luck also hit the big boys and things are getting ugly.
«Incredible, so much bad luck – said Uijtdebroeks to the Belgian Het Nieuwsblad at the start of Switzerland – and it continues to move forward. Kruijswijk and Van Baarle, both focused specifically on the Tour, had serious problems. Fortunately we have a strong team, with other athletes also returning from illnesses or injuries. We’ll find a solution. For me the Tour is certainly not an option. First because it was never in my plans and therefore I didn’t prepare it. Secondly because I am still very young. Unless all the runners on the entire team stop dead in their tracks. But fortunately this possibility seems non-existent to me.”
Giro pneumonia
A high-risk sense of humor comes from the 21-year-old Belgian from the Walloon province of Liège, who debuted at the Tour de Suisse with a smooth time trial (opening photo Instagram/Visma-Lease a Bike) and a first stage in a group, given the sprint finish. His last appearance in the race was precisely the tenth stage of the Giro, won by Paret Peintre in the stupendous setting of Bocca della Selvain the Benevento mountains.
«I really had the hope of being able to leave again the next day – he says – but I felt sick. Already in the morning, during the interviews before the race, I felt like coughing, I was short of breath… But I kept thinking about hay fever. In the end I also finished quite well, 13 seconds behind Pogacar. So I thought I would just need a night’s sleep to put everything right. Instead, on the rollers after the race I started to understand that something was wrong, I almost couldn’t breathe. We noticed that I had a fever of 39: the doctor immediately understood that I had pneumonia and my Giro ended there. It was a hard blow. I had never reached such a high level. Especially because I wasn’t liking the first part of the Giro, but I had faith that going into the mountains the best was yet to come.”
The recovery in Andorra
At the time of collection, Uijtdebroeks wore the white youth jersey, followed 12 seconds by Tiberi. Just that day Antonio had gained him 9 seconds, perhaps also due to his condition.
«It was still a Giro to be raced – he continues – difficult to say what would have happened. What I saw Pogacar do I had never seen in my life. It was nice to race alongside him, on the day in Rapolano I had fun on the dirt roads and for this reason I’m sorry I wasn’t able to fight to defend or improve my placing. The worst thing is that the lung problems went on for a long time, longer than I expected. A burning sensation and always shortness of breath, which apparently are typical symptoms of pneumonia. In the end I stopped for a week, then I started again and at that point the Tour of Switzerland came into play. We started rebuilding step by step, with an internship at high altitude in Andorra. At first very carefully, so as not to cause more damage than the same disease. I spent more than two weeks up there and now the conditions are quite good again. Of course I don’t have the form of the Giro, I lost a lot…».
Viewfinder on the Vuelta?
It now remains to understand what his true level is a Switzerland that sees fewer Tour faces at the start than the Dauphiné. What will be his place in the group, especially after the stop due to pneumonia? Even Cian doesn’t know it and when he opened the book in a hurry, he didn’t have any great sensations, only to then recover as he leafed through the stages.
«When I saw that there are so many mountains in the finale, I was happy. Then I was shocked to see that there is a time trial on the last day, until I saw that it is an uphill time trial. I’m motivated, I should be able to reach a good peak of form again and I hope to achieve something good. Whether that means a top ten, top five or something else remains to be seen. I don’t want to make predictions. And at that point we will evaluate how to continue the season. Having not finished the Giro, the Vuelta could become an option, but we haven’t talked about it yet. The season finale has many possibilities, including the world championship. Meanwhile, the next step will be the national championships and then I will be available for the national team.”
