Injuries Tim van Dijke are too familiar to Visma | Lease a Bike, which also knows when Kooij will compete again

Visma | Lease a Bike has not yet been able to shake off the injury curse in 2024. The Dutch team suffered three setbacks in two days this week: Steven Kruijswijk and Dylan van Baarle unfortunately crashed out in the Critérium du Dauphiné, while ZLM Tour leader Tim van Dijke, who was second in the GC, had to abandon the Dutch race.

Van Dijke crashed at a silly moment during the third stage of the ZLM Tour, where he was still in contention for the overall victory after a strong time trial on day one. A rider from Bingoal-WB, while taking a feed bag from the roadside, fell and took several riders down with him, including Van Dijke and Morten Aalling Nortoft from Visma | Lease a Bike.

Continuing was no longer an option for the rider who had his breakout season this year in the Giro d'Italia and spring races. "Incredibly bitter," team director Arthur van Dongen called it the next day in an interview with IDLProCycling.com. "Tim bruised his ribs, and it was very painful. He also had severe abrasions. Additionally, his head was hit, and we feared a concussion, but that was not confirmed at the hospital in Maastricht."

Mick van Dijke and Kooij almost return to competition

Van Dijke now faces a period of rest, a few days earlier than expected and hoped for. Meanwhile, his brother Mick is set to make his comeback: he has been struggling with a knee injury since Paris-Roubaix, but will make his return to racing at the Baloise Belgium Tour. He will be joined by Olav Kooij, who had to withdraw due to illness during the Giro d'Italia. The Dutch sprinter will compete from June 12 in Belgium against the likes of Fabio Jakobsen and Jasper Philipsen.

Thus, some of the Visma | Lease a Bike riders are leaving the sick bay, as Robert Gesink (hand fracture in the Giro), Cian Uijtdebroeks (sick in the Giro), and Wilco Kelderman (broken collarbone in Paris-Nice) also make their returns in the Tour of Switzerland. Following the withdrawals of Kruijswijk and Van Baarle in the Critérium du Dauphiné, Visma | Lease a Bike has decided to wait until after Switzerland to make further decisions.

Tom Dumoulin suggested including Kooij in the selection for the Tour de France, but that does not seem likely at the moment. However, after all the events of the past months, Visma | Lease a Bike is still keeping an open mind regarding that possibility.