Re: Re:
Kwibus said:
HelloDolly said:
It is obvious to me that Dumoulin was not prepared well enough for yesterday ...So when Valverde attacked he tried to respond but blew and then had to ride within himself to the end...
He did say before the stage that he thought it would not cause him any problems as he had ridden very well in Strade Bianche
I have never thought Dumoulin a GT contender becasue he cannot climb with the top climbers in the high mountains. And I t think no matter what he does this will not change . The competition is too strong nowadays compared to the days of Indurain
But he can wear all the GT jerseys as he is such a good TTer, can win multiple stages and world and Olympic titles in TT. He can even win stage races with a big TT element and not much high mountains
100% agree. A course like Wiggo got in the TdF certainly gives him a chance in the future, but normally when there are enough and hard mountain stages he will never win a GT, but he will certainly win a lot. Carry a lot of leaders jerseys etc.
I would not be so sure. We won't know unless he decides to try a couple of times. To me he's shown a few abilities that Wiggins never showed. He's not your typical TT'er turned GC rider who tt's his way up the mountain (true to a degree) and for whom the shallow, grinding climbs are the best. He's shown the ability to attack and drop competitors on stages that suit him, without having a team so strong they're half the peloton on the final climb.
Dumoulin, unlike other TT'ers turned GC riders, is actually quite explosive and very good at short efforts. However, I think endurance is more his problem than simply being a TT'er who is too heavy. He's said multiple times about some of his best efforts that they're still below his best training values, and they still don't know why.
He held his own last year in Andorra, and lost less than half a minute on that brutal stage in Asturias. All that without specific preperation for riding a GC. If he gets a little stronger, I definitely think he can win GTs with the right preparation, parcours, team and competition.
Also, I wouldn't be entirely sure the Tour would be his best chance of winning.
In any case, Dumoulin has so many qualities that he can be picky in what he aims for. I at least hope he can get his endurance somewhat better, so he can be a genuine 1 day contender