The Opening Weekend marks the official start of the Classics season, and for Dutch rider Tim van Dijke, it was also his first race in the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe jersey. After strong performances in both Omloop Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, he shared his insights on his weekend, the team’s progress, and his ambitions for the upcoming races.
Tim, you just completed your first Opening Weekend with the team, including a 15th place at Omloop Nieuwsblad. How do you reflect on your performance over the whole weekend?
Tim van Dijke: I finished 15th in the end, but I can be very happy with my shape and the way I raced. But that’s racing—you can’t always control how it unfolds. Coming back from altitude for my first race, it was a good performance. Now, we build on that.
Racing with a new team always comes with challenges. How was your first experience with Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe in these races?
Tim van Dijke: You have to get used to each other—communication, riding together. There are still things to improve, but I really enjoyed being back racing. I’m happy with how I felt out there.
Where did you feel strongest during the races?
Tim van Dijke: At Omloop Nieuwsblad, I think I was always up there with the best five or ten riders on every climb or sector. For me, that’s a positive—I could have also done 260 kilometers today. At this level, this is a good sign.
The final moments of Omloop were hectic. Can you walk us through what happened?
Tim van Dijke: It could have been a top-ten result, but when you’re boxed in with 200 meters to go, you lose speed and it's over. That’s disappointing, but such situations are also part of racing.
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne followed the next day. How did the team approach that race?
Tim van Dijke: As a team, we had some nice learning points from Omloop that we could take into Kuurne, and I think we did really well. We were there more as a unit, always up front controlling, and we wanted to go for the sprint with Jordi. In the end, we lost each other a bit in the last three kilometers, and that was really disappointing. We couldn’t position Jordi in a way that allowed him to sprint for victory.
This is something that takes time—to get used to each other, to work with each other. But the positive thing is that we have really strong legs. It’s just a matter of time before we get a really nice result.
What do you take away from Opening Weekend for the rest of the Classics?
Tim van Dijke: I take the positives from the races, but I also need to learn from it and do better next time because I know I can. The way I rode the cobbled climbs and the climbs gives me confidence for the next races. I want to perform in all the Classics, but I also want to help the team win.
Looking ahead, what’s next for you?
Tim van Dijke: I will race Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico. At Strade, my job will be to help the leaders of the team with positioning because it’s more of a climbers’ race. At Tirreno, I’ll support the GC guys.
Photo: Maximilian Fries