Jumbo-Visma have promoted Tim van Dijke from their under-23 team to their WorldTour squad, filling the gap left on the roster by Dylan Groenewegen’s recent departure to BikeExchange.
The 21-year-old Van Dijke was initially slated to move to the WorldTour in 2023 but he will now step up a year ahead of schedule, joining his twin brother and fellow neo-professional Mick in the Jumbo-Visma roster.
The Dutchman scored his first professional victory at the end of the 2021 season when he won the final stage of the Cro Race in Zagreb ahead of eventual overall winner Stevie Williams (Bahrain Victorious).
“Of course I was already proud and happy that I would be part of the World Tour team in 2023 and 2024, but it is great that I am now switching a year early,” Tim van Dijke said in a statement released by the team.
“I expect to gain a lot of new experiences from which I will learn a lot. Last season was already one with good learning moments, and it won’t be different next year. At times I will, of course, have a hard time, but that will help my development. It feels good to take a step up again. In addition, it is nice that my brother Mick and I switch to the World Tour formation more or less at the same time.”
Jumbo-Visma directeur sportif Merijn Zeeman explained that there was no strict demarcation between the development team and the WorldTour squad. While Van Dijke’s rapid progression has earned him the opportunity to race in the WorldTour, he will also line out on occasion with the development squad.
“At Team Jumbo-Visma, there is no hard line between the World Tour team and the development team. Each rider gets a personal program that suits him the best,” Zeeman said. “Tim is developing at lightning speed. That's why we think he needs a challenging program, alternating races between the World Tour team and the development team. Next year, the development team will still guide Tim, but he will also take his first steps in the World Tour.”
Jumbo-Visma’s 2022 WorldTour roster will thus feature 29 riders, including new arrivals Tiesj Benoot and Rohan Dennis. Primož Roglič, Tom Dumoulin, Jonas Vingegaard and Steven Kruijswijk remain in the team’s stable of stage racing talent, while Wout van Aert will again look to shine across all terrains. The Belgian has won five races out of five on the cyclo-cross circuit this winter, though he has yet to commit to racing the World Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas in January.
