In August 2023 Matt Dinham had his breakthrough ride. Very few had ever heard of him, but he finished seventh at the elite World Championships road race on debut aged 23. His employers dsm firmenich (now Picnic PostNL) were so impressed that they rewarded him with a contract extension to tie him down until 2027. The future was promising, full of potential waiting to be tapped into. 

On Sunday (September 28), Dinham wasn’t at the 2025 Worlds in Kigali, Rwanda; he was starting the Tour of Langkawi in Malaysia. It’s his first race all season. In fact, he hasn’t finished a race since the 2023 Il Lombardia, 722 days ago. Dinham’s career has been suspended in purgatory for two whole seasons, an innocuous injury derailing his progression, slamming him into what has seemed like permanent standby mode. Many times, he wondered out loud if his young career was over for good. “I don’t know what I did to deserve all of this – I’ve been pretty lost the whole time,” the 25-year-old tells Rouleur by video call from his home in Nice, a week before Langkawi begins. This is Dinham’s story of anguish, frustration and finally relief at pinning a race number on once again. 

This article was published by Rouleur in September 2025. You can read the full article here.