Cian Uijtdebroeks 🇧🇪

Rider Type: Climber / GC - Age: 20 - Weight/Height: 36.75 kg/m

Cian Uijtdebroeks has been a standout star the past couple of years, and at only 20 years of age we're incredibly excited to see where he goes. Cian recently placed sixth at the Tour de Romandie, but potentially more importantly, finished the Thyon 2000 climb sixth, ahead of a career best performance from Egan Bernal who finished in eighth.

Cian publically notes that he likes like average gradients as compared to steep and that weighing food is totally fine with him as long as it charts him on his quest to be one of the next great general classification riders.

Team

Bora is known to be able to provide young riders with opportunities to ride for the general classification.

Think Jai Hindley. Hindley had a program built around him, with domestiques who were better riders than him initially bringing him bottles in the early days instead of the other way around. Hindley went on to place 2nd, and then won the Giro d'Italia. We feel Bora is apt to do the same for Cian, and will most likely either send them to different tours, or attempt a dual horse strategy.

It's also a potential that he gets scooped up by another team, especially if they can provide him full support for a general classification career.

Strengths

Climbing, specifically long strenuous climbs that go on for a long time. We wish he was going to the Giro d'Italia 2023 to be honest. With the amount of long arduous climbs we'd think he'd succeed. But seems like he's earmarked for the Vuelta, which is exciting, and Thyon 2000 mimics some of the climbs normally found in the Vuelta.

When to Bet?

Clearly if there's an hour long climb he's proven his prowess. But we're thinking any long mountain climb stage finish. He may not be let into breaks given his GC potential but if there's a hill, we'll be thinking of him and Poole for each way bets. We still feel that in this Vuelta he'll be given more freedom by other teams than he should be - and we'll be looking for an upset win by him.

His time trial should develop as he transitions into being a general classification rider. So placing a bet on future time trials when he might not be expected could be a good call. Not this year though. 2024 perhaps.