Cian Uijtdebroeks (Visma-Lease a Bike) managed to wear white at the end of the 2nd stage of the Tour of Italy on Sunday. The climber distinguished himself on the final slope towards the Sanctuary of Oropa, finishing 7th in the stage. He rose to the top of the ranking for best young person. “I knew it was better to be careful,” he analyzed afterwards.
In a stage dominated by the unbeatable Slovenian Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates), the outsiders engaged in a tactical battle. Uijtdebroeks’ strategy paid off. “I knew that I should not panic when Pogacar accelerated, and rather find my own rhythm. Tadej is explosive, and I am quite the opposite,” laughed the leader of Visma-Lease a Bike. “If I had tried to go with him, I would have exploded.”
Giro: Tadej Pogacar “dreamed of the pink jersey” and can “relax for the next few days”
This tactical choice turned out to be “ideal. I felt very good, and I just tried to ride as hard as possible until the top. When Geraint Thomas and the others accelerated, I managed to reduce the gap. It was fantastic. I knew I would struggle in the sprint at the top because I’m not the most explosive, but I handled it pretty well.”
Thanks to his performance, Cian Uijtdebroeks climbed to 4th place in the general classification, 54 seconds behind the pink jersey. He also took the lead in the ranking for the best young person, the white jersey. “It’s my first jersey in a grand tour, it’s special. It was a fantastic feeling when I found out I had the white one. I’m so happy, but the Giro is still long. The peaks and the time trials are still coming. I’m not going to give up the jersey so easily, but it will be a long battle I’m tackling it day by day.
