Almost with out wanting it and positively with out particularly preventing for it, Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease A Bike) discovered himself again within the white jersey of the Giro d’Italia on Saturday, simply 24 hours after he had ‘loaned’ the Best Young Rider’s (BYR) result in Australia’s Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla).
Seventh on on the summit end of Prati di Tivo and working fifth general, the Belgian defined that his essential purpose within the Giro d’Italia is nearly as good a GC end as doable, fairly than concentrating on the BYR rankings.
But he nonetheless welcomed the possibility to be again in that classification once more, whereas admitting that Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), one of many few GC riders to position an assault on stage 8, can also be a severe contender.
Both Tiberi and Uijtdebroeks had been outgunned by maglia rosa Tadej Pogačar on the end. But fairly than complain concerning the Slovenian for seizing as many wins as doable – as Pogačar mentioned some riders have completed – Uijtdebroeks mentioned he had nothing however respect for the Giro chief’s keenness to go for victory after victory. “If I used to be in his place,” he mentioned, “I’d do the identical.”
Uijtdebroeks, in any case, had his personal second within the highlight on Saturday, shifting again into the lead of the BYR rating that he already held from phases 2 by 6.
His predecessor within the high BYR sport, Plapp, had predicted on Saturday morning, that the Visma-Lease A BIke racer can be within the jersey by the top of the stage, and when the Australian misplaced contact with the opposite favourites on the foot of the Prati di Tivo, it was clear the Belgian had the chance to attempt to get it again.
“You by no means know, although Luke additionally got here to me this [morning] and mentioned the climb can be actually laborious for him. I additionally knew he was not the man who’d go for the GC right here, for 3 weeks,” Uijtdebroeks defined.
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“I wasn’t enthusiastic about the jersey on the stage although, as a result of I used to be simply focussed on getting as excessive as doable on the GC. But in the long run, it’s very nice to have it.”
Uijtdebroeks agreed that he knew that Tiberi was going to try to wrest the jersey from his shoulders and with simply 21 seconds between the 2, the combat for white may be very a lot an ongoing affair. Thymen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) stays within the combine, too, given he’s solely 1:28 down on the Belgian, whereas Alex Baudin (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), who held the BYR lead on stage 1, stays a distant risk at 2:32.
However, Tiberi is essentially the most rapid hazard, having attacked twice within the finale, one thing which later earned him reward from Pogačar, and as Uijtdebroeks put it “I knew Tiberi would attempt to go for it, and so in the long run I coated it.”
“When it got here to attacking it was probably not the day for me although. It was a quick climb, Ineos nonetheless had two guys with Thomas and Arensman and UAE nonetheless had two guys with Majka and Tadej. So I knew they might doubtless go for the dash.”
As for the rider who ultimately received the uphill small group dash on stage 8, Uijtdebroeks identified that such battles are by no means as clearcut as they may appear, given the climbing that’s come earlier than. But he agreed that within the transient skirmishes that preceded the ultimate sprint for the road, even when Pogačar’s win was not set in stone, the writing was all however on the wall.
“You by no means know for positive, once I attacked with Tiberi then Tadej adopted instantly so for positive I noticed that he had good legs,” mentioned the Belgian.
“Then from the previous he’s additionally actually quick, plus he’s simply tremendous sturdy for the second and when he sees an opportunity he all the time takes it. I might do the identical if I had these legs.
“But in the long run after Antonio had attacked a number of occasions, for me it was higher to be extra conservative.”
Uijtdebroeks underlined that whereas the white jersey was one thing of a bonus prize, it was one he was more than pleased to take, because it proved to him – and the remainder of the biking world, you would possibly add – that GC-wise after every week of ultra-hard preventing he remained very a lot in the best place on the proper time.
“As I mentioned, it wasn’t an instantaneous purpose to get the jersey again in the present day, however we fought effectively and it was a extremely vital stage. You by no means know the way you’ll be going after so many laborious days, so I’m actually glad nonetheless to be up there on the entrance.”
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