Take2 weeks ago
Uijtdebroeks finished stage 4 last, 26:11 behind Pogačar, on a fractured ankle — and only stayed in the race because organizers bumped the time cut from 16% to 20% that morning. The Vuelta was supposed to rebuild a season already wrecked by illness; instead it's adding damage.
The Belgian crossed the line in tears on his own Andorran training roads, saying «I just don't feel the pain anymore» — which is less a triumph than a warning sign. He crashed on stage 2 after a mechanical forced a bike swap, confirmed a fracture by stage 3, and spent stage 4 in a riding position Belgian commentator José De Cauwer called «not sitting on a bike, that's hanging on a bike.» Movistar Team signed him through 2029 as their GC cornerstone to support Enric Mas; a rider grinding through a time-cut adjustment to survive stage 4 is not that rider yet.
Sources
"That's not sitting on a bike, that's hanging on a bike!" - Cian Uijtdebroeks continues Vuelta with a fractured ankleCian Uijtdebroeks breaks down in tears after the Vuelta stageCian Uijtdebroeks races on at Vuelta after ankle crack confirmed: 'Walking is difficult'Uijtdebroeks rides on at Vuelta despite hard fall on stage 2Movistar Team secures the future with the signing of Cian Uijtdebroeks through 2029