"I better not look too much at my Garmin data," laughs Tim van Dijke after encouraging battles with van der Poel and Co

He had hoped for it last winter, but that Tim van Dijke would be dominant in his first races of 2025 was perhaps something he would not have thought possible. The 25-year-old Dutch rider and his twin brother Mick moved from Visma | Lease a Bike to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, and it already seems to be a hit. After a good Tirreno-Adriatico, the brothers are gearing up for the spring classics. IDLProCycling.com spoke with Tim.

Van Dijke started his season in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after he and Mick had all winter to build up their form gradually. In the Opening Weekend, Tim said he was 'quite impressed' with himself, although the results may not have told the whole story. He rode full out in the Omloop in the final but finished 'only' fifteenth. In Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, he followed that up with a 49th place. "In the Opening Weekend and Strade Bianche, things went well," he said enthusiastically at the start of Tirreno.

Van Dijke continued on that same path in Tirreno. While his brother rode in Paris-Nice, Tim competed in the finals for three days. In a bunch sprint in Follonica, he surprisingly finished eighth; in the bitterly cold 240-kilometer ride to the top of Colfiorito, he was thirteenth after attacking, and on day four, he again finished thirteenth in a sprint of a depleted group. "The past few days have been good for me, and the legs are good, even though I haven't been able to turn it into a result," he said.

Read more below the photo.

Tim van Dijke (center) in Tirreno

A different winter and a new team are paying off for Tim van Dijke

Those good results should then come in the classic spring. Van Dijke will ride the Classic Brugge-De Panne on Wednesday. He will then participate in all the big races: E3 Saxo Classic, Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, and Paris-Roubaix, and he will also race in the Amstel Gold Race in his own country. "The past races give me confidence for the rest of the calendar: My coach Marc Lamberts knows me very well, and with the confidence the team has in me and the preparation I have followed, I have been able to reach this level."

Considering his legs and the fact that he could keep up with Mathieu van der Poel and Filippo Ganna, Van Dijke smiles. "I have never been this strong. As a cyclist, you live so fast, but sometimes, it is good to take a moment to reflect on how things are going. Then, I can be very satisfied, and although I have not achieved a great result yet, I know it is possible. It is cool to show myself at this level and do a good job for the team."

Read more below the photo.

Van Dijke (here third from left) received another warning on the penultimate day, after 'intimidating' pushing in the peloton

Tim van Dijke just doesn't look too much at his Garmin

This spring, the Van Dijke brothers will compete against an impressive group of classic riders, including newcomers Laurence Pithie and Oier Lazkano. They will also often be joined by sprinter Jordi Meeus. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is thus pursuing success with a broad group of riders and not just one leader. Van Dijke can force his way to the top if he wants to go for the medals. "I need to learn as much as possible from all those racing situations to achieve a great result one of these days."

He is capable of doing it, the always friendly all-rounder knows. He also slightly surprised himself when he competed with Van der Poel and Ganna in the final. "Then you go all out, but for me, it's a bit crazy to be competing among all those big names. I'd better not look at the data on my Garmin too much; that wasn't normal in Strade Bianche, either. I seem to be able to keep up, but it takes some getting used to riding among those guys at the important points."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])     

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