The new Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Classics team shows teeth during the Opening weekend: "It’s just a matter of time before we get a really nice result"
Cycling
Tim van Dijke successfully wrapped up his first races in new colors. While it may not be obvious from his results, the young rider of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe was always in the thick of action, and only bad positioning in one case cost him a top-10 result.
"I finished 15th in the end, but I can be very happy with my shape and the way I raced," Van Dijke looks back at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in press release. There were moments when the Dutchman had an even better result within his grasp. "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."
The 24-year-old rider was the main flag-bearer for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe during the first Classic. He certainly feels that he's in a good shape at the moment. "At Omloop Het 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 next day; Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne. Many teams were looking for a sprint, and the German team's strategy was just the same with Jordi Meeus. "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," Van Dijke laments.
Yet he is not worried that the teamwork won't improve as the riders get used to each other in coming weeks and months. "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."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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