Wout van Aert may be a much-missed figure for Belgian fans at this year’s Giro d’Italia, but an impressive debut for his compatriot and teammate Cian Uijtdebroeks has surely sparked a fresh wave of interest back home in the Italian Grand Tour.
Eighth in the Vuelta a España last year, the Visma-Lease a Bike racer had already been tipped by Belgium, as well as cycling’s greatest-ever racer Eddy Merckx, as a strong candidate for the Giro’s best young rider classification.
