The biggest transfer saga in months is set to rumble on after more shocking details emerged following the news that Cian Uijtdebroeks signed a four-year deal with Visma-Lease a Bike for 2024.
According to a statement sent to GCN and then published on the rider's Instagram account, Uijtdebroeks terminated his contract with Bora-Hansgrohe on December 1.
GCN can confirm that he signed a contract with Visma-Lease a Bike on Friday, December 8 with the team then announcing the news on social media on Saturday.
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The Visma news was immediately followed by a statement from Bora-Hansgrohe with the German squad reaffirming their stance that Uijtdebroeks had a deal with them for next year.
However, the rider, via his agent, took to social media soon after, claiming that his contract had been terminated.
"The agreement between Cian Uijtdebroeks and Bora-Hansgrohe has been terminated on December 1st 2023," the brief statement read.
"Legal proceedings already have been initiated by Cian and the UCI is aware of the termination of the agreement. Cian is confident about the outcome of the pending procedure and will refrain from further comments at this time. Of course, Cian is excited and looking forward to the future cooperation with Team Visma-Lease a Bike starting next season."
The situation, however, is far from cut and dry given Bora-Hansgrohe’s public stance, and the fact that contracts must be approved by the sport’s governing body. The UCI has yet to comment publicly on the matter and there is no clause within a rider's contract that states that a termination can be applied for at the start of December.
In order to break a contract there must be grounds for a breach, such as unpaid wages, or if a team drops down from the WorldTour to the second division. Likewise, for a rider to terminate their contract early and move to another squad there must be an agreement in place between the athlete, their current team, and the squad they wish to move to. One of those elements is clearly missing at this stage and that could leave to tough questions for Visma, if they have signed a rider still under contract in the view of the UCI.
Uijtdebroeks' agent, Alex Carera, also refrained from commenting but there are several key questions at this point. Firstly, how Uijtdebroeks was able to break his contract in the first place and under what grounds he pursued a termination. Secondly why Visma-Lease a Bike were willing to risk a potential battle with another WorldTour team without a public green light from the UCI.
Rumours had been circulating about Uijtdebroeks' future since the Vuelta a España. The Belgian made several public comments surrounding his team that were less than complimentary and several teams were put on high alert once it became clear that the rider was interested in leaving Bora-Hansgrohe.
The consensus during October and November was that Bora-Hansgrohe would be willing to listen to offers for the rider and that a compensation deal might have taken place. At the same time, the team were also trying to tie the rider down to a longer contract. Those options began to look limited as November ended and few, if anyone, expected such a dramatic turn of events this late in the year.
“It’s a goal [to sign him] because he’s a talented rider but our pockets aren’t as big as some other teams,” team boss Ralph Denk told GCN in November.
“We have to find a smart way. In my opinion, at the moment, he stays for 2024 because no other team is asking for us to let him go. If you look to the UCI rules you need a three-way agreement with the new team, existing team and the rider. And then the UCI. I don’t even have a draft offer on my table. Cian has a valid contract and I respect contracts."
The Bora-Hansgrohe team camp is set to start on December 11 and it's certain that Uijtdebroeks will not be present. What's completely unclear, however, is how this case will conclude in the coming days and weeks. It's unlikely that Bora-Hansgrohe will back down from this point on.
When asked by GCN if they expect Uijtdebroeks to attend their training camp, a Bora-Hansgrohe spokesperson said: "All riders under contract and the entire Performance Team meet in the December camp, unless there are important reasons for absence, e.g. illness, injury or in one case also the expected birth of a child."
Cian Uijtdebroeks terminated his contract with Bora-Hansgrohe but case is pending - Global Cycling Network
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