There was one rider at the Petronas Le Tour de Langkawi on Sunday who had every reason to be a little more excited than most to be on the start line - that alone being a win given how hard the road to pinning a number on again has been for Australia's Matt Dinham.
The Picnic Post NL rider had worked his way into the WorldTour in 2023 and quickly vindicated the signing, coming ninth in the young rider category at the Tour de France, then showing just how much he could be capable of achieving when he came seventh in the gruelling elite men's race at the Glasgow World Championships.
However, his attempt to launch into the 2024 season to build on that promise and potential just kept being delayed. First it was a stress fracture but when that healed the pain didn't abate, and after a long and challenging period he finally discovered that accessory veins were causing tarsal tunnel syndrome in his ankle.
