Teams & Riders Tom Dumoulin discussion thread

[Logic-is-your-friend]

His season prep was hampered by that disease or whatnot. Not that strange that this season is over. Next year will be important though.

 

[HelloDolly]

Dumoulin should not have left Sunweb in the same manner Barguil should not have left. Everyone blames Sunweb for the Dumoulin knee issue but it was Dumoulin himself who wanted to ride the Tour and insisted he would be ready not the team
Yet the team took the brunt of the criticism

Sunweb dont need Dumoulin but he joined a team where he is 2nd fiddle behind Roglic while he was in a team that where he was the undisputed leader ..I could never see the sense in that decision

If at Sunweb he could have waited and rode the Giro and won...He would have had his Tour form and have more time to train and be not fatigued . Again I dont know why he didn't ride the Giro this year

 

[Leinster]

Dumoulin should not have left Sunweb in the same manner Barguil should not have left. Everyone blames Sunweb for the Dumoulin knee issue but it was Dumoulin himself who wanted to ride the Tour and insisted he would be ready not the team
Yet the team took the brunt of the criticism

Sunweb dont need Dumoulin but he joined a team where he is 2nd fiddle behind Roglic while he was in a team that where he was the undisputed leader ..I could never see the sense in that decision

If at Sunweb he could have waited and rode the Giro and won...He would have had his Tour form and have more time to train and be not fatigued . Again I dont know why he didn't ride the Giro this year

There’s a whole load of what ifs in there, but yes, with every GT that goes by, Tom’s decision to up sticks and leave Sunweb for Jumbo seems to have negatively impacted his chances of another big win. Be it how well Sunweb’s riders have done in the interim, or how much competition he has for team leadership now, or just flat out getting beaten by a wunderkid at the Tour.

 

[staubsauger]

The idea behind switching teams to Jumbo was that, being back to his best, he would be their no. 1 rider. Not Roglic.

His shape at the Tour de France was quite promising actually. Dumoulin had just gotten back into race rhythm. Like I already feared some weeks ago, the load of racing between the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espana simply was too much in short time. Especially for a guy who didn't race all that much before. Actually since fall 2018! Of course he's fatigued now. His engine is overcooked now, just when it was back going smoothly.

Jumbo really needs to hire back Erik Breukink! Their current sport directors and managers tactically ineptitude is blatant. Especially Addy Engels who's incompetence arguably cost 2 Giro d'Italia victories for the team. With Breukink as general manager, leading sports director respectively we are talking about the online time in the history of the team someone with tactical knowledge was calling the shots. Keep in mind that Breukink had a good link with Rasmussen as well so his would've been 2007 Tour de France victory and would've been 3rd place at the 2005 Tour de France fall into Breukink's purview!

 

[Red Rick]

Legendary domestique.

Gifting the ITT to his team leader already

 

[Leinster]

Legendary domestique.

Gifting the ITT to his team leader already

I would’ve thought he’d at least stick around to see how he could do in the TT.

The thought did occur the other day, is he behind Jumbo’s move to Cervelo bikes? He was at Sunweb still when they switched from Giant, and Jumbo’s relationship with Bianchi this year has seemed to be “let’s adapt these to our purposes, but we’re not 100% happy with them.”

 

[Red Rick]

I would’ve thought he’d at least stick around to see how he could do in the TT.

The thought did occur the other day, is he behind Jumbo’s move to Cervelo bikes? He was at Sunweb still when they switched from Giant, and Jumbo’s relationship with Bianchi this year has seemed to be “let’s adapt these to our purposes, but we’re not 100% happy with them.”

I think Dumoulin in his current shape had no shot at that ITT anyway. I have no ideas about the bikes.

 

[Bolder]

His season prep was hampered by that disease or whatnot. Not that strange that this season is over. Next year will be important though.

Yeah, he gets a pass on this year from me. I still maintain that at his best he should be an equal GC threat to Roglic. Don’t know exactly where he’s gone wrong and whether it’s fixable or a Schleckish decline due to an injury that changed his mechanics.

 

[Leinster]

Yeah, he gets a pass on this year from me. I still maintain that at his best he should be an equal GC threat to Roglic. Don’t know exactly where he’s gone wrong and whether it’s fixable or a Schleckish decline due to an injury that changed his mechanics.

Yeah he should be equal. The last time they went head to head, on different teams, in a GT, Tom was unlucky to finish 2nd, in his 2nd GT of the year whereas Primoz faded to 4th. And Tom’s a year younger.

Hopefully he can come back to his old self after the injury if he gets a good winter break.