Tom Dumoulin for Switzerland without expectations | Cycling

“First of all, the result is of secondary importance. It’s his first race and Tom starts with no expectations. It really is the intention to get the rhythm of the match.”

Dumoulin decided to stop cycling indefinitely in January. He took the time to think and wanted to think carefully about his future. Dumoulin, who became the first Dutchman to win the Giro d’Italia in 2017, admitted he was struggling with pressure and expectations.

Tom will try a few things at the time of the trial.

In May, he announced that he would continue his cycling career. He rediscovered the joy of cycling and expressed his ambition to perform at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. He is already riding the eight-day Tour de Suisse as a prep race. “It’s a stop on the way to Tokyo and Tom should try to get through this race well. I know he’s going to test a few things in the time trial, but other than that he has to experience what it’s like to ride a race on stage,” Zeman said.

not a captain

So Dumoulin is not the captain of the team. “Absolutely not. It’s really nice that he’s back. I understand it’s a special moment, but we’re still a bit ahead. He’s trained really well in the mountains and he’s definitely fit enough, but I don’t expect him to be able to go up with the best climbers right away. It’s important Especially to be happy on the bike again and to feel that. I’m especially happy for him, because I know how hard he has been. It’s nice to see him enjoying his bike again. That’s how we approach this course.”

Tom Dumoulin hopes to shine on behalf of the Netherlands in the Olympic time test.

Ⓒ HH / ANP

Olympic time experience

The Tour of Switzerland fits well in preparation for the Olympic time trial, as the tour features two singles versus hourly stages in the stage schedule. The first stage is a 10.9 km fixed time trial at Frauenfeld, and the seventh and penultimate stage is a 23.3 km time trial to Andermatt with 600 vertical metres. “Tom will use these time trials to try things out, like planning. On top of that, he should especially get a feel for what it’s like to ride in a peloton. You can’t say much about that up front.”

ranking

With Sam Omen, Australian Chris Harper, and Antoine Tolhawk, Jumbo-Visma features guys who can ride a good rating. “Tom is of course part of the team. The race track will determine what role he might have to play, but that is up to the team leaders in the race. They will determine what is needed, but always in consultation with the riders. We are very open to that.”

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