Visma-Lease a Bike's mixed Vuelta a España took another blow as Cian Uijtdebroeks withdrew from the race with Covid-19.
His team announced the decision on X (formerly Twitter) hours before the start of stage 15, one of many contenders for the queen stage of this year's race.
Uijtdebroeks had struggled early on in the Vuelta, feeling "paralysed" in his legs at the end of climbing efforts and unable to locate the source of a problem which has dogged him throughout this year.
But he appeared to be finding form later in the race and was part of a huge team effort controlling Saturday's stage 14. The 21-year-old was a key mountain domestique, putting in a major turn on the final climb of the stage, the Puerto de Leitariegos, as Visma-Lease a Bike attempted to set up a fourth win of this edition for Wout van Aert.
"The early stages of the Vuelta were difficult for me," he told Sporza before stage 14 began. "But now things are sometimes going a bit better."
However, that improvement was short-lived as Visma-Lease a Bike wrote on X on Sunday morning, "We are sad to communicate that Cian Uijtdebroeks will have to withdraw from La Vuelta due to a Covid infection. We wish Cian a speedy recovery. Get well soon, Cian!"
Covid-19 was also responsible for the exits of fellow general classification hopefuls João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), who was visibly suffering and tumbled from third to 23rd overall the day before his withdrawal, and Thymen Arensman and Laurens de Plus (Ineos Grenadiers).
Uijtdebroeks' withdrawal means defending champion Sepp Kuss, who sits 15th overall, will have to contend without another mountain domestique as the race enters its third week. Sunday's stage 15 features two category 1 climbs and the formidable HC Cuitu Negru, which includes ramps over 25%.
Visma-Lease a Bike had already lost Dylan van Baarle to a broken hip following a nasty crash on Stage 2 and Uijtdebroeks' withdrawal continues a torrid season for the team that won all three Grand Tours last year.
The young Belgian shot to prominence by achieving eighth place on his Grand Tour debut in the Vuelta last year after a promising early career, including winning the Tour de l'Avenir in 2022.
A high-profile switch from Bora-Hansgrohe to Grand Tour winning machine Visma-Lease a Bike for 2024 was intended to build on that promise, but his first season with the Dutch outfit has been more mixed. He was forced to withdraw from the Giro d'Italia with illness, having spent spells in the best young rider's jersey, and was knocked out of general classification contention early in the Vuelta.
