Up-and-coming Belgian racer Cian Uijtdebroeks has delivered a major surprise in cycling's transfer markets after it was announced Friday that he will leave current squad Visma-Lease a Bike at the end of 2025 and ride for Movistar for the next four seasons.
Uijtdebroeks' wholly unexpected move comes despite the 22-year-old having two years still to run on his current contract with the Dutch team. It also comes two years after the 2022 Tour de l'Avenir winner ended his contract with Bora-Hansgrohe early to move to Jumbo-Visma, the previous iteration of Visma-Lease a Bike.
Speaking in a team press release ambitiously titled 'Movistar secure the future with the signing of Cian Uijtdebroeks to 2029,' the rider himself pointed to Movistar's long history in Grand Tours and WorldTour races.
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"It is a team where the human aspect truly matters, operating with the spirit of a family," Uijtdebroeks added about the 45-year-old team.
"As I live in Andorra and often train on Spanish roads, it will be an honour to defend the colours of the most iconic Spanish cycling team.
"Riders like [Alejandro] Valverde, [Nairo] Quintana, and [Enric] Mas have achieved incredible successes here, and I hope to contribute and play my role in the team’s future victories."
Viewed as one of the most promising young riders in the sport, Uijtdebroeks' first breakthrough pro results came in 2023 when he took a string of top ten finishes in week-long WorldTour races like the Tour de Romandie and Volta a Catalunya. He then claimed eighth overall and second in the BYR category in the 2023 Vuelta a España, his first Grand Tour.
Since then, illnesses blighted his 2024 season – in which he briefly led the Giro d'Italia's best young rider competition and sat fifth before abandoning sick – and the first half of 2025, with a back issue also troubling his form. But he has since taken an overall win at the Tour de l'Ain and looks to be on the comeback trail, as well as second in the Czech Tour and fifth in the Tour de Slovaquie. Before the end of the year, Uijtdebroeks is due to take part in a series of Italian one-day races, including Il Lombardia, followed by one last outing for Visma-Lease a Bike at the Tour of Guangxi.
“I am now at a stage in my career where further development as a GC rider in Grand Tours has become essential," Uijtdebroeks said in the same Movistar press release announcing his signing.
" I am convinced that Movistar—and riders like Enric Mas in particular—can help me grow in this discipline and achieve great results. The team also has a strong tradition in hilly one-day Classics, and I believe this environment can help me develop into a key rider in the peloton.“
Unlike when he moved on from Bora-Hansgrohe, Uijtdebroeks' exit from Visma-Lease a Bike appears to have been harmonious, to the extent that Visma team manager Richard Plugge was even quoted in the Movistar press release, praising Uijtdebroeks and then adding that "The honest story is that Cian's ambitions and those of the team started to diverge."
"At this time, we can't offer Cian the role and match schedule he believes are essential for his development."
Uijtdebroeks was equally complimentary about his current squad, saying, "Visma | Lease a Bike has been, and remains, one of the greatest teams in the world with a very specific approach to cycling.
"Over the past two years, I have learned a lot about training methods, nutrition, and many other aspects of professional cycling. However, I now feel it is time to open new horizons in my development and embrace new challenges."
Movistar's announcement of their signing of Uijtdebroeks comes just a few weeks after it was confirmed that top young Spanish all-rounder Juan Ayuso would be signing for Lidl-Trek in 2026. Movistar's 'team ambassador' and gravel racer, Alejandro Valverde, had made it clear earlier this year that Ayuso was on the squad's radar for a future contract, but team manager Eusebio Unzue told AS that it was not feasible.
The unexpected and major boost to Movistar's ranks also comes at a point when their current top GC leader, Enric Mas, is still recovering from a leg issue earlier this season, with no date yet set for his return.
Other signings by Movistar for 2026 include talented all-rounder and Classics racer Roger Adrià, former Spanish national TT champion Raul García Pierna, longstanding 2022 Giro d'Italia leader Juanpe López and up-and-coming Czech talent Pavel Novak.
