Cian Uijtdebroeks vent his frustration about support from Bora-Hansgrohe after mechanical problems with race bikes and reserve bikes at the Chrono de Nations disrupted his race.

The 20-year-old Belgian finished 4:07 in 14th place over England's Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) and had problems in the last race of the season and was unhappy with losing time to his rivals due to aerodynamic inferiority.

"After ten kilometers, my shifter came loose and I immediately changed the bike. But the spare bike turned out to be completely faulty. I came here to learn. It would be nice if my bike was in order...Uijtdebroeks told Het Nieuwsblad in frustration.

Uijtdebroeks confirmed his status in 2023 as one of the best young riders at the Peloton 1. He won the Tour de la Venir in 2022, becoming 6th in the Tour de Romandi, 7th in the Tour de Switzerland and 8th in the Vuelta a Espana.

Uijtdebroeks has revealed the possibility of riding the Giro d'Italia in 2024, with new team leader Primo Logric targeting the Tour de France. He knows that he and Bora-Hansgrohe have to work to improve his time attempts.

"That's what we [Bora-Hansgrohe] really need to improve," Uijtdebroeks said.

"I have power. Here at my 65km, I pedal almost 400 watts on average over an hour. But we lose a lot with it, so we have to tweak the whole setup.

Uijtdebroeks is close to compatriot Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), who finished in 2nd place in chrono des Nations and fellow young prospect Juan Ayuso (UAE team Emirates) (aerodynamic resistance coefficient - the lower it is, the better the rider and his equipment are aerodynamic

"Two time trials at the Giro". There is a ........... We really don't have time to lose anymore," he said.

"This winter, we'll have to spend a lot of time in the wind tunnel to finally make my position a little better.

"A plan for this winter has not yet been drawn up, but it is clear that there is work to be done for the team.

Uijtdebroeks has a contract with Bora-Hansgrohe in 2024, and his future beyond that has not yet been determined.

GCN says Lidl-Trek and Ineos Grenadiers have shown interest in talented young Belgians, but Bora-Hansgrohe is also keen to keep Uijtdebroeks through the development program and junior team

"I haven't really thought about it yet". Uijtdebroeks said about his future, recognizing the support and freedom he enjoyed at Bora-Hansgrohe.

"So far, I've always had a good program and I've been able to make a lot of progress. It's also thanks to the team," he said.

"I would never have had so much freedom elsewhere. But we need to analyze things carefully: What will it take to be really competitive in the grand Tour in the future' Then we will see if the mullet can offer it, or whether we need to look for a place where they do.”