Wout Van Aert may be missed by Belgian fans at this year's Giro d'Italia, but the impressive debut of his compatriot and teammate Sian Uitdebroeks has certainly sparked a new wave of interest from his home country in the Italian Grand Tour There is no doubt about it.

The Visma-Ries-A-Bike racer, who finished eighth in last year's Vuelta a España, was already considered a strong contender for the Giro's best young rider award by Belgium and the greatest racer in cycling history, Eddy Merckx.

"He is not up to the level of Tadej Pogachar," Merckx told la Gazzetta dello Sport this week.

Whether Merckx's comments inspired the 21-year-old Uitdebloks on Sunday's climb to the summit finish of Mount Oropa is not known. But in any case, by finishing 30 seconds ahead of stage 2 winner Pogachar (UAE Team Emirates), the young Belgian is now in fourth place overall and enjoying his first start in the white jersey as the best young rider in a Grand Tour.

"I wasn't thinking about getting the white jersey today, but I rode as hard as I could and I got it.

"When I first heard it was the white jersey I couldn't believe it. But in fact, I'm very happy to wear my first Grand Tour classification jersey."

"I'm very happy.

Uitdebloks said he rode the 11-km Oropa at his own pace rather than risk exploding in response to every move. He noted that in the sprint to the finish, where he finished seventh, he knew he would not be in the lead in any case.

As for whether he could defend his lead, Uitdebroeks quoted Pogachar as saying, "I still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do."

"I'm looking forward to a long climbing stage and today's steep climb was a good one. Of course, I won't give up this jersey without a fight."

Pogachar was the Tour de France's best young rider for the fourth year in a row and won the youth class at the 2019 Vuelta a España. Pogachar turned 25 in September 2023, so his eligibility to win the white jersey of the Grand Tour expired.

Unlimited access to all coverage of the Giro d'Italia - journalist reports, breaking news, on-site analysis from each stage of the race, and more. More info.