One of Evenepoel's most vital Tour de France helpers had a hectic fight to be ready in time

Saturday, July 4, will mark a new milestone in Tim van Dijke’s career. After the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España, he will follow in his brother Mick’s footsteps and make his debut in the Tour de France. He’ll be serving as a support rider for Remco Evenepoel, who has complete confidence in the twin brothers after just a few months riding together.

While Mick made his Grand Tour debut last year in the Tour de France and impressed on Mont Ventoux despite a nasty crash, Tim already has a Giro and a Vuelta under his belt. Early in the season, it was clear that he had a good chance of making the Tour de France team, thanks in particular to his performances in races such as the Omloop and Paris-Nice.

After providing Remco Evenepoel with flawless support in the Tour of Flanders and later in the Amstel Gold Race, it was already crystal clear within the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team: he has to come along to the Tour. Unfortunately, without his brother Mick, so the dream of starting the Tour together will have to wait a little longer.

Incidentally, Tim didn’t have a smooth run-up to the Tour de France. During the high-altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada, where he was training alongside Evenepoel, among others, the rider broke his collarbone in a crash. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe acted quickly and ensured that Van Dijke received the best possible care at the Performance Center near Salzburg.

Last Sunday, he suddenly appeared as the last rider on the start list for the Dutch National Cycling Championships, but that turned out to be a mistake. With a twelfth-place finish at the grueling championship, he made a successful comeback after not racing for nearly two and a half months. Now, an important test awaits him this Saturday in Barcelona with the team time trial.

"Tim has recovered in time from the collarbone fracture he sustained during the high-altitude training camp and will be fully fit at the start of the Tour," Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe confirmed.