'I spent a lot of time in the bathroom': Uijtdebroeks bounces back at Dauphiné

Uijtdebroeks managed to distance Mattias Skjelmose and Paul Seixas on the final climb, even though Seixas had already endured a hectic and energy sapping day. The result underlined the quality of the Belgian’s performance and, given how he had felt earlier in the week, came as a welcome surprise.

“I did not really know what to expect,” the Movistar rider said after the stage to HLN. “I did not speak about it much during the week, but I had been feeling ill.”

Uijtdebroeks explained that he had been dealing with flu symptoms and stomach problems. A virus had also affected other riders within the team, with Ivan Romeo and Jefferson Cepeda forced to leave the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, formerly the Critérium du Dauphiné, early.

“I spent a lot of time in the bathroom over the past few days,” Uijtdebroeks said. “But since this morning [Saturday], I have been feeling better. I finally had the same sensations again that I felt at the start of the race.”

His recovery came at the right moment. On one of the most demanding climbs of the event, Uijtdebroeks was able to compete with several of the strongest riders in the race. The performance gave him an important confidence boost ahead of the Tour de France.

“There is still a little more to come, but that is the case for everyone,” he said. “A performance like this shows that the foundation is good.”

The result also strengthened his position in the general classification. Uijtdebroeks will start the final stage in eighth place overall, 2 minutes and 17 seconds behind race leader Luke Tuckwell.

The gaps immediately ahead of him remain small. Uijtdebroeks is only 18 seconds behind seventh placed Skjelmose and 23 seconds behind Seixas in sixth, while fifth placed Tobias Halland Johannessen is 44 seconds up the road. With those margins still within reach, there is plenty left to race for in the final stage.

That is exactly what he intends to do. “I will race tomorrow [Sunday] in the same way as I did today,” Uijtdebroeks said. “We never wanted to put a specific number on the result beforehand. I want to give everything, use this race as preparation for the Tour and get the best possible result here.”