Belgium may be frustrated, but Tim van Dijke is thrilled with Evenepoel’s key role: “Our mate, our Aero Bullet”

Van Dijke, 26, has been riding in outstanding form over the past few weeks. He finished second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, played a major support role in Paris-Nice, and was again right there in E3 and In Flanders Fields. So after an aggressive ride in Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Dutchman was in a position to answer the obvious question: how had Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe managed to keep Evenepoel’s Tour of Flanders plan under wraps for so long?

“He has never ridden the Tour of Flanders before, but in truth the plan was already to line him up there,” Van Dijke said matter-of-factly. “I think that race should suit him really well.”

The sparkle in Van Dijke’s eyes said plenty. “On Sunday we’ve got our mate with us, haven’t we? Our Aero Bullet. We’re looking forward to that. We’ve got a really strong team to support him there, and I think Remco can go a very long way. To make life difficult for Pogačar and Van der Poel, we now have a real leader with us.”

In Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday, Van Dijke was still allowed to try and hold Wout van Aert’s wheel himself, but the Dutchman knows full well that his job will be different on Sunday. “All I have to do is make sure I support Remco as well as possible, and I think I’ve got the legs to take him a long way.”

That confidence is rooted in the depth Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe have shown throughout the spring. His brother Mick van Dijke has been strong too, as have Laurence Pithie, Gianni Vermeersch and Jarrad Drizners. “If you look at how many riders we’ve had in the finales, then it should work out well. I hope I can mean a lot for Remco and that we can go for the win.”

The win? Yes, the win. Because according to Van Dijke, Evenepoel is immediately one of the major favourites in the Tour of Flanders, even as a debutant. “If he starts a one-day race, he is always one of the top favourites. The only slight disadvantage is that he rode Catalunya. It’s up to us to make sure Remco is in position when the big favourites go.”

“Then I don’t expect there will be many riders who can drop him on the Kwaremont,” Van Dijke predicted. And that would not be a bad scenario for him personally, either. “If Remco gets clear with the absolute top favourites, then I don’t have to ride. I know every centimetre of the Tour of Flanders course and I’ve got good legs. We’re going to make a good plan and then give everything on Sunday. That’s going to be fun.”

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])