Departing Visma | Lease a Bike was not a piece of cake for Van Dijkes: "Ultimately opted for sporting purposes"

Sports director Rolf Aldag was already anticipating the arrival of the men from Colijnsplaat. The Germans of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe are perceived as fast riders who know what they want on and off the bike. Thus, they will be an important part of the super team that Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe wants to become.

Aldag mentioned the successful HTC team, of which he was part until 2011. For that, he needs "men with a good mindset," which he thus found among the classic core of Visma | Lease a Bike. On the other hand, Van Dijkes is more than happy with the move to Ralph Denk's formation, as you can read in Mick's interview below at the start of the Renewi Tour.

"Hahaha. Many Germans live in Zeeland, but mine needs a little fine-tuning."

"Sure. It had been known to us for a while, so sometimes it's hard to keep your mouth shut. So I'm glad it's out now, though."

"We have had five outstanding years with Team Visma | Lease a Bike and enjoyed our training there. We are pleased with that, and the intention was also to stay, but we have now made this choice purely for sporting purposes."

"Yes. They were very enthusiastic, and Tim and I also found it very important that the feeling was there. Those first conversations were already enjoyable, which played into it for us.

They were very enthusiastic, and they really believed in us. The confidence is just there, in a nice and relaxed way. We feel like we're ready for this step, and we're excited."

"We have done well in the classics now. There, we performed but also did a lot of work. In Roubaix, partly due to injuries and illnesses in others, we showed what we have to offer. Tim and I want to find out if there is more to it.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe said they didn't come to us for that alone. For example, they also looked at Paris-Nice, where Matteo Jorgenson has always been at the front, thanks to our work. That's work you don't easily see on TV, but it's essential. And that's what they were looking for for the big tours.

They want to become the best team in the world eventually, so they need young guys with potential. That's how they ended up with us. What was also lovely for us was that Marc Lamberts, Tim's old trainer, was already there. We were also able to speak well with him."

"Not at all. We thought leaving was a sad and challenging choice because we had been good to the team. But we have no reason to hide the fact that our team with UAE-Team Emirates is the best team in the world.

By that, I mean they are going to the Tour of Flanders with six riders who would be leaders on other teams and one person in control. Team Visma | Lease a Bike made us a good proposal. It was a perfect proposal, but we had better ones. Ultimately, we chose purely for sporting purposes and thus this other adventure."

"Olav is a smart guy who wishes us the best, but I know he will be sorry to see us go. Of course, we indeed rode and won many sprints with him, so that will always be special."

"Tim and I discussed our options with our management and discussed them well. After careful consideration, we made the decision not much later."

"We did hesitate, for sure. We are loyal guys and enjoyed ourselves at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, so it was not easy to change teams."