Pro rider quick to slam Bora-Hansgrohe for "out of order" Specialized TT bikes

Cian Uijtdebroeks didn't hold back with his assessment of where his Chrono des Nations time trial went wrong yesterday, calling out his team Bora-Hansgrohe for repeat mechanicals and issues with his Specialized TT bike.

Speaking afterwards to Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad, the 20-year-old Grand Tour prospect — who won last year's Tour de l'Avenir, the esteemed race considered the Tour de France for U23 riders, and finished eighth on Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a España this summer — had harsh words for his employer, criticising the team and commenting "it would be nice if my bikes were in order".

Uijtdebroeks finished the time trial event in 14th place, more than four minutes behind winner Josh Tarling and 3:54 behind compatriot Remco Evenepoel, both Belgians riding the Shiv TT bike as part of their respective teams' sponsorship agreements with Specialized.

However, while Evenepoel has ridden his to a World Championship title and two Giro d'Italia stage wins in 2023, Uijtdebroeks has struggled in his races against the clock, blaming mechanicals for yesterday's performance, and wider positioning issues for the rest of the season's disappointments.

"After ten kilometres my shifter came loose and I was immediately allowed to change bikes," he explained. "And that spare bike turned out to be completely out of order. Then you can still ride as fast as you want, but that's not cool. I came here to learn. Then it would be nice if my bikes were in order.

[Zac Williams/SWpix.com]

"It's something we really need to improve," he said of Bora-Hansgrohe's approach to time trials, comments that will perhaps make interesting reading for Primož Roglič, the four-time Grand Tour winner stepping across to the team from Jumbo-Visma at the end of this year.

Uijtdebroeks continued: "There is still a lot of margin, especially in terms of aerodynamics and the construction of the bicycle itself. I have the power. Here too, with my 65 kilos, I pedal almost 400 watts on average over an hour. However, the entire framework needs to be fine-tuned. We just lose a lot with that.

"We will have two time trials there [at the Giro d'Italia 2024]. We really don't have any more time to lose. This winter we will have to spend a lot of time in the wind tunnel and on the road to finally get my position a bit decent. 

"Riders like Evenepoel and Ayuso have a CDA [coefficient of aerodynamic drag, whereby a lower number represents a rider being more aerodynamic] of 1.5. I'm at 1.9 to 2.0. I just lose minutes with that. The planning for this winter has yet to be drawn up. But it seems obvious to me that there is work waiting for the team. It would be stupid if we didn't."

Uijtdebroeks even went as far as to hint that he could ultimately leave the team if the issues are not resolved, saying if Bora-Hansgrohe cannot make him "competitive in Grand Tours" then "we have to look for a place where they do".

He said: "So far I have always had a good programme and have been able to make a lot of progress. That is also thanks to the team. I would never have had so much freedom elsewhere. But we will have to analyse things carefully. What will it take to be truly competitive in the Grand Tours in the future? Then we will see whether Bora can offer that, or whether we have to look for a place where they do."

Uijtdebroeks is of course far from the first rider to blame equipment issues for disappointing performances, Chris Froome this summer saying he had been "let down" by "frustrating" mechanicals after being omitted from Israel-Premier Tech's Tour de France team.