Tim van Dijke surprises with fourth place in Giro d'Italia sprint: "While we are here, you have to try"

Tim van Dijke was one of the unexpected names in the top 10 full of surprising faces after a technical finish of Giro d'Italia's thirteenth stage. The young Dutchman was normally never going to take his own chance in a sprint, being only the second-last man in his team's original sprint train, but abandons of Olav Kooij and Christophe Laporte gave Van Dijke an opportunity he couldn't turn down.

"I didn't expect fourth place, I have to admit," Van Dijke said afterwards at Eurosport. "But while we are here, you have to try. Unfortunately, Olav is no longer there, but fourth place is a good result for me."

Just like winner Jonathan Milan, Van Dijke may not have even gotten around to sprinting had the wind not played into his hands. After all, sixty kilometers from the finish, the entire peloton was separated in echelons, and Van Dijke was not part of the front split.

"It was a stressful stage, so I stayed a bit at the back. But that's how I ended up in the second group," he laughs. "Fortunately we came back, but it was a nervous day."

For Visma | Lease a Bike, who lost half of its lineup in Italy, including GC leader Cian Uijtdebroeks and beforementioned Kooij with Laporte, this result should be a boost. "We keep fighting every day, no matter what happens," Van Dijke confirms. "Today is another boost for the team, and I am very happy about that."