A few weeks ago, you'd have had quite long odds on Tim van Dijke finishing as Team Visma | Lease a Bike's highest-placed rider at Paris-Roubaix 2024. With his finish of 16th however, that is how things transpired and it could have been even better, save for a relegation due to his sprint.
The 24-year-old came into the velodrome still very much in the mix for a top-10 placing and thought he had done enough to secure it too with his sprint, initially finishing in 8th. Upon review however, the race jury has judged that van Dijke's sprint took him off of the velodrome track and therefore seen fit to relegate him down to 16th place. Still good enough for best-placed within Team Visma | Lease a Bike but no longer a top-10 monument finish.
"Rules are rules. Apparently, that's how it is in track cycling," van Dijke reflects afterwards in conversation with Wielerflits. "It's just a bit of a shame that I don't understand that much. I was really just working on my attack because I just wanted to finish eighth. I take the shortest possible turn to the finish."
"In hindsight I should have known that, I guess. I'm also not the only rider who did it, although that doesn't matter otherwise," Van Dijke continued. "But anyway, rules are rules. So I was rightly put back. But that doesn't detract from my performance, I don't think. It's just a sour aftertaste though."
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