After more than a year of frustration, Cian Uijtdebroeks gets his first pro wins in style
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) won the third stage of the Tour de l'Ain and with it took the overall title on Friday in an emphatic return to form after battling persistent health woes dating back to 2024.
The 22-year-old Belgian, who was seen as a GC star of the future when he left Bora-Hansgrohe to join Visma for the start of last season, has dealt with illness and knee problems since joining the team. He spent three months away from racing after the Tour du Doubs in April as he tried to get to the bottom of his health issues before returning to competition with a promising top 10 ride at the Donostia San Sebastian Klasikoa last weekend. Now, he has built on that with two great days in the Jura Mountains.
On Thursday, he rode to second on stage 2 of the UCI 2.1-rated Tour de l'Ain, and then he followed that strong showing up a huge win on stage 3. Attacking on the mighty Grand Colombier, Uijtdebroeks went on to finish more than three minutes ahead of overnight leader Nicolas Prodhomme (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) to secure the stage and the overall title.
