"I got swamped by the riders behind me" - Tim van Dijke remains boxed in after sudden drop of pace in the final of stage 18

From list of substitutes to becoming his team's sprinter - Tim van Dijke has been through it all with Visma | Lease a Bike at this Giro d'Italia. In the penultimate sprinting opportunity of this year's edition, Van Dijke had his eyes set on getting as close to improving his fourth place from last week as possible.

However the 24-year-old Dutchman got boxed in at a crucial moment, preventing him from sprinting for the top spots. Thus, Van Dijke had to settle for only seventeenth place, although he feels he could've achieved more.

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"It was a fast and tricky final, but I felt very good," Van Dijke said afterwards in a press release. "Edoardo was also strong today. After his efforts in the attack, he still did a great job to put me in a good position," he appreciated his Italian teammate's support in the streets of Padova.

"At 900 metres from the finish line, there was an important corner. I was well placed there. From then on, I expected a peloton drawn to a ribbon, but that was not the case. The speed decreased, leaving me swamped by the riders behind me. Unfortunately, I was too far away to fully sprint. Fortunately, the feeling was good. I will try it again in Rome."

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