Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) has been left scratching his head over his string of disappointing performances, complaining of 'numb legs' after plummeting down the Vuelta a España standings on a relatively innocuous stage 7.
In a stage won by Wout van Aert and teed up by the selfless defending champion Sepp Kuss, the shine was taken off the day for Visma-Lease a Bike as Uijtdebroeks suffered on the late climb of the Alto del 14% and went on to ship more than eight minutes.
The 21-year-old talent had started the day more then seven minutes down on the surprise leader Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R) but still in the general classification picture at just over two minutes down on Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) and one minute back from his co-leader, Kuss.
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However, when Roglič and his team lit things up on the category-2 climb deep into Friday's stage, Uijtdebroeks quickly found himself going backwards.
"I ride as hard as I can, my heart rate is not at the limit, but I still have a numb feeling in my legs and everything just blocks," he told Belgian broadcaster VTM after the stage.
This has become a familiar feeling for Uijtdebroeks, who has yet to see lift-off in his Visma-Lease a Bike tenure that began with his surprising and controversial switch from Bora-Hansgrohe last winter. The Belgian had dominated the junior circuit, won the Tour de l'Avenir in 2022, placed in the top 10 at last year's Vuelta at his Grand Tour debut, and made a bright enough start in his first races for Visma this year.
But things have gone awry, with DNFs at the Volta a Catalunya and Giro d'Italia followed by middling displays at the Tour de Suisse and Vuelta a Burgos, and now this first-week setback at the Vuelta.
“We have often said that it could be due to fatigue or this or that, but it cannot be that it keeps coming back. It cannot be fatigue every time," Uijtdebroeks continued.
"Until last year I never had this. I have never experienced riding around with such a numb feeling. Even when I touch them, my legs feel numb. I just can't do anything anymore. That's not normal.
"On such a short climb, I should be able to sit much more at the front. If it happens once, it's not bad, but if it happens constantly, it's not fun. I work really hard for it, but it's like I'm riding around with swollen legs that don't produce any power. We have to look into what could be the cause of this."
Uijtdebroeks' 2024 Grand Tour ambitions have now veered off the rails, the potential he wanted to explore by switching teams seemingly further away than it was before. He'll support Kuss in the remainder of this Vuelta but his mind is already lurching towards the 2025 season.
"I will help the guys who are doing well as best I can," he said. "We also have to look further into the cause of this. We will have to approach it differently for next year anyway."
