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Teams & Riders Tom Dumoulin discussion thread

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Olympics are just too tempting. In a way it is a shame that someone like Dumoulin not being on a JV Tour roster. It would give the JV team more depth and appeal.

But then again if Dumoulin wouldn't be in top shape and fully determined to make a difference the decision to take Vingegaard instead is the right decision.
 
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For me the big question now is if Dumoulin wants to try the classics, and/or if him wanting to stagehunt is incompatible with Jumbo and will force him to move teams eventually
I agree. He's got the motor to become a classics rider; can you imagine him at Wout teaming up at any number of one-day races?

"Stagehunter" is shorthand in my book for "I ride for a team without any real GC chances." I don't think Jumbo is that team, although the way this Giro is going...

To be brutally honest, for his own sake, I think he should have taken the whole year off and spent time with a few sports psychologists. Maybe he's done so, but 3 months doesn't seem like enough time to really decide if he wants to live the WT cyclist lifestyle again.
 
I agree. He's got the motor to become a classics rider; can you imagine him at Wout teaming up at any number of one-day races?

"Stagehunter" is shorthand in my book for "I ride for a team without any real GC chances." I don't think Jumbo is that team, although the way this Giro is going...

To be brutally honest, for his own sake, I think he should have taken the whole year off and spent time with a few sports psychologists. Maybe he's done so, but 3 months doesn't seem like enough time to really decide if he wants to live the WT cyclist lifestyle again.
Depends on what the struggle was, and whether it was really the pressure of being pidgeonholed into the prodigal Dutch TdF winner. If he really feels that's the big difference I suspect he'll know quite clearly.

And he's been "seeing" a psychologist alright, IIRC his wife is one :tearsofjoy:
 
I doubt Dumoulin is ATM thinking if he should switch teams. No other team would give him the freedom JV did. He basically can prepare for the Olympics and doesn't need to think about the rest. As a rider you can't ask for more.

After Olympics who knows. There are just too many variables involved. Somehow i feel that he is not done yet, when it comes to GTs.
 
Did he actually say he wanted to stage-hunt or are people just making that assumption?
Afaik it is still an assumption and mostly comes from Zonneveld (Dutch analyst) who said that Dumoulin wants to return to how he raced in 2016, Time Trialling and stage hunting. But I feel like many riders would like to stage hunt but it also depends on the team.

I find it very plausible that Dumoulin wants to lose the pressure of being a GC rider but I don't think that he will refuse to ride if he cant stage hunt but has to work instead.
 
Pretty sure Dumoulin will never ride GC's in GT's again. He might do the usual and somehow end up leading in the first week but I don't foresee another GT attempt anymore.

He knows the level has gone up and it's unreachable now. He will have no fun finishing 5th in a GT.

Dumoulin came 7th at the TDF last year with only a month racing after a long term injury, I think he still has a chance of reaching the highest level.
 
Pretty sure Dumoulin will never ride GC's in GT's again. He might do the usual and somehow end up leading in the first week but I don't foresee another GT attempt anymore.

He knows the level has gone up and it's unreachable now. He will have no fun finishing 5th in a GT.
I don't think the level is unreachable. I think the sacrifices to reach it though, are more than he's willing to make.
 
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Yeah I don't think his level has gone. But he knows how far he had to push to get there and Pogacar and Roglic are probably a bit better still.

His window to win the Tour was probably 2017-2019
yeah think so too. That's why I'm still a bit pissed he went for giro in 2018 first.. i mean yeah he did a commendable Giro-Tour double effort with 2x 2nd. But he could've won the Tour that year if he fully went for it... And 2019 was his last chance basically and still he went for the Giro first and then that fall *** him. Still mad at Sunweb/Giant/DSM for that.. but whatever. Window gone.
 
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yeah think so too. That's why I'm still a bit pissed he went for giro in 2018 first.. i mean yeah he did a commendable Giro-Tour double effort with 2x 2nd. But he could've won the Tour that year if he fully went for it... And 2019 was his last chance basically and still he went for the Giro first and then that fall *** him. Still mad at Sunweb/Giant/DSM for that.. but whatever. Window gone.
2018 was so stupid cause of the routes.
2019 I also thought the Tour route was more TT friendly, but perhaps a top Dumoulin would've nuked the main ITT a lot harder than Roglic but I don't think he was great when he got there.
 
I think Dumoulin can go back to his best level when it comes to a GC contender. Thing is, the bar has been set higher than in 2017-2019.
But in theory he’s got a better team now. If we think his best level is Giro winner and TDF runner up, then he can. Tour winner? Maybe.

But I really don’t think he wants to be à protected GC rider anymore. There are lots of other races he can win if he’s in great shape.
 
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But in theory he’s got a better team now. If we think his best level is Giro winner and TDF runner up, then he can. Tour winner? Maybe.

But I really don’t think he wants to be à protected GC rider anymore. There are lots of other races he can win if he’s in great shape.
Who is he more likely to beat? Ineos’ 2nd rank GC leader in a Giro or Vuelta? Or Ganna/VanAert in an Olympic/Worlds TT?
 
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