At Red Bull, Tim and Mick van Dijke will get what they didn't get at Visma: "I hope Olav will miss us"

Mick and Tim van Dijke (24) were key members of the Visma | Lease a Bike team, but this winter, they made the bold decision to transfer to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. The move was driven by their ambition to race for their own success, a desire that was reinforced by two key factors: the presence of Wout van Aert and the opportunities the Van Dijke brothers seized during the spring season, following injuries within Visma. IDLProCycling.com caught up with the twins to discuss their decision.

There is a very positive vibe surrounding this media day. How are your first few days going?

Tim: "Yes, definitely. For us, it really feels like we’re on the right track. We can sense it in everything: the positive vibe you mentioned, the conversations we’re having, all the plans in the pipeline here... We feel really good about those things. It’s great to be here in Mallorca, getting to know everyone and all our teammates better."

What does your program for the upcoming year look like?

Mick: "Our focus is mainly on the classics. Tim and I performed well there last season, both in supporting roles and, for example, in Paris-Roubaix, where circumstances allowed us to ride for ourselves. That really motivated us, and we'd like to explore it further. The team has a lot of confidence in us, so we’ll do everything possible to ensure we get to the starting line well-prepared."

At Visma | Lease a Bike, everything was well-organized: you knew that if you got on your bike, you’d become the best version of yourself. Do they approach things differently here?

Mick: "Well, that wasn’t the case for everyone at Visma. We learned a lot from them, but you also have to keep thinking for yourself. Things are done very differently here. For me, the biggest change is that I don’t have to race both the first and last races of the season. Last year, I did the Tour Down Under, and the year before, I went to China. That left me with just three weeks of rest and four weeks to prepare. That’s a winter that’s two or three times shorter than someone who also rides the classics. Now, after January, we’ll go on a training camp in February with plenty of staff, so we get to calmly prepare to truly become the best version of ourselves. I’m looking forward to that."

I think it was you Mick, who said in a podcast that if you hadn't raced Roubaix without Van Aert, you might not have made this transfer to Red Bull. Was it really that eye-opening?

Mick: "Well, you know you have that in you, but sometimes it goes unnoticed. Many people see the yellow jerseys at the front, and that starts with the domestiques. Tim and I often did the thankless work that goes unseen because the cameras aren’t on us. You don’t stand out as much, but when you’re in the race finale, people start to recognize what you're capable of. Speaking for myself, my best race physically wasn’t Paris-Roubaix. I’ve ridden better races in support of others. But in Roubaix, it stood out, and that’s how the ball got rolling."

Tim, you probably had that same experience at the Giro d’Italia, where you’ve often mentioned how much you appreciated the opportunity.

Tim: "Yes, that's right. I wasn’t on the Giro roster, not even as the first or second reserve. It was the same for some of the classics. When I went to the Giro, I was actually ready for some rest, and that’s quite stressful for your body. Now, we have a better idea of what to expect, although that doesn't mean things will work out better just because you've had a targeted preparation. But it was something I was looking for."

Mick and Tim van Dijke in Milan-Sanremo

Van Dijke brothers want to work with Van Poppel in sprint train

Danny van Poppel paid you guys a big compliment: he’d absolutely include you in his dream sprint train. Will you be working together a lot in the train?

Mick: "Well, the classics unfortunately only last about six weeks a year, so outside of that, we’ll often work in support of sprinters or GC riders. We’ll be working with Danny a lot, and we’re versatile enough to handle all positions well. If you look at the riders in this team’s sprint train, there’s no one we need to fear. Normally, we’ll be able to position our sprinter very well. At least, that's what I expect."

Looking at Jonathan Milan’s train, at least on paper, I’m not sure which team I’d prefer to ride for in 2025...

Mick: "That’s a great compliment. Danny is, in my opinion, one of the very best people you can have for a sprinter. His insight will help us a lot, and we’re only 23 years old. He has so much experience, and I’m sharing a room with him now as well. I can say that we really click. Danny also played a role in our move here. He told the team he’d like to work with us. We have a lot of power with Danny, the two of us, Ryan Mullen..."

Tim: "And don't forget all those other fast guys, like Filip Maciejuk."

Danny mentioned that maybe the only thing missing is a true top sprinter. Do you guys think Sam Welsford can become that guy?

Tim: "Sam is very fast, you know. Last season, he won three stages in the Tour Down Under for a reason. He’s a real sprinter, so if we can get him on track... It will take some time to get used to each other. At Visma, Olav Kooij and we were a well-oiled machine. We knew exactly what we were doing. That’s how we won a lot of sprints, thanks to Olav and the rest of the train. We’ll need to give ourselves that time here, too."

I had this question lined up, so I’ll just ask it now: how did Olav react?

Tim: "He was mainly very happy for us that we could take this step. That was very kind of him."

He's the sprint leader himself, of course, but won't he also be torn apart by his own success on the one hand and your ambitions, which just didn't pan out at Visma, on the other?

Tim: "Olav knows very well what he wants. His strength is that he stays focused on himself and takes responsibility. He just wants to win races, whether Mick and I or someone else are leading him out. I think he can handle that well, although I do hope he’ll miss us. We’ll definitely miss him. For five years, we did everything together, from being young racers to that stage win in the Giro in May. We were part of each other’s development, and it was beautiful to walk that path together."

Mick: "I also want to mention Tosh Van der Sande as a mentor. He really taught us the ropes."

Olav Kooij won a stage in the Giro

Are Tim and Mick van Dijke very different?

Another interesting point that came up in the podcast: It was mentioned that the two of you are really seen as a package deal. Was that explicitly part of the discussion with interested teams?

Tim: "Well, we simply make each other stronger, and Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe recognized that too. There was never any talk about potentially just one of us joining. They saw our qualities as a team and wanted us both to complete the puzzle."

How did your transfer come about? Maxim Van Gils has said he wanted to leave after some of his teammates moved on. Was it similar for you?

Mick: "It didn’t happen that way for us. There's no denying the fact that Visma has a lot of top riders. As a young talent, it’s not easy to compete with that. We learned a lot from them and knew exactly what we had there. But we were open to a new step, especially after the classics. We knew Marc Lamberts as a trainer, and he had already been here for a year. He knew what we were capable of, but you also need to be given opportunities to push your numbers to the limit. That’s what we were looking for. We put ourselves in a position where there was significant interest, and then you can negotiate a bit."

Tim: "That’s really it, at that point you have a strong negotiating position."

At Visma | Lease a Bike, Grischa Niermann said: "I’d love to give everyone a chance, but when Wout van Aert is fit, we all ride for him…"

Mick: "And that’s logical, that’s Wout van Aert you're talking about. We understand that, and Visma understands us too. We never asked for leadership but dreamed of riding finales. That’s ultimately how we hope to reach the world’s top. It won’t happen in the short term, but you do have to think about which path you want to take. We were at the end of our contracts for a reason."

A cliché question, but are there differences between you guys as riders?

Mick: "Normally, Tim is faster than me. He’s a bit more explosive. I can maintain high power for longer. But in my opinion, the difference isn’t very big. We’re both very versatile, and that’s why Red Bull was so interested in us as a package deal. We can both climb reasonably well, and we’re both quick. You can put us in a sprint train, we can ride classics, we’re team players, and we enjoy working for others. We’re the same type of rider, which makes sense."

Still, Visma often had to choose between you two. How did they make that decision when the difference is so small?

Mick: "Well, you have Van Aert, and the rest of the spots are filled with riders who would be leaders on other teams. Tim, I, and Per Strand Hagenes were behind them, and now they’ve brought in Niklas Behrens as another talent. So, you’re competing for the last spot in the lineup, to be the one who gets to pull."

Tim: "And to be clear, that works to Visma’s advantage. They have top talent in every position. Most people only start watching a classic after 160 kilometers. Well, by then those guys have already fought many battles. Their domestiques often last longer than the leaders of other teams, which says a lot about their depth. That’s why Tim and I often found ourselves competing for selection in races we both really wanted to ride."

Mick: "I don’t want to dwell on it too much, though. We chose our own path and respect Visma’s decisions. We just didn’t see ourselves staying at Visma for the next three years, but we respect the choices they made."

Of course, you can’t demand anything when it comes to these kinds of things, but how has Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe reassured you that you won’t end up in the same situation again? Do you already know your program?

Tim: "The idea is to ride a Grand Tour, which is something we really want to do. Which one, I can’t say yet."

What would make 2025 a successful year for you, given your ambitions?

Mick: "Phew, the long-term goal for me is to win a cobbled classic, but I know there are many steps to take before that. I don’t want to skip any, so I’m not going to put a number on it. I just want to ride as many finales as possible and be consistent. Who knows, maybe something great will come out of that."

Tim: "For me, it might sound boring, but I want to break my records from 2024 and become a better rider. Ride finales and, hopefully, win a race. Whether it’s on a time trial bike or a regular road bike. Winning again. That would mean a lot. My focus is on the classics."

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