Injured Dutchman in race against time to regain form for July.
Tom Dumoulin rode a fairly light early-season this year, with only 16 race days up to May. But with a Giro-Tour double to attempt, it was a reasoned strategy.
“It’s better to be mentally fresh,” he said in the weeks approaching the Giro d’Italia. A great plan, all the way up to stage four, where the Dutchman’s race effectively ended, disastrously, after he was caught up in the crash that injured his knee. He abandoned in the rain the following day, having ridden just 1.5km of stage five.
So what now for the Sunweb rider? Can he really challenge for Tour de France victory after missing such a key block of racing and conditioning? Dan Fleeman of Dig Deep Coaching thinks it’s still possible, but it won’t be easy.
Denne historien er fra May 23, 2019-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
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Denne historien er fra May 23, 2019-utgaven av CYCLING WEEKLY.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"
Fast, furious and furry tales from Australia
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499
A Brompton for running riot in both town and country
How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?
There are a myriad of tyres on the market but selecting the right one is easier than you think
FEAST OF SWEDEN
Soon after landing in Gothenburg, I began to realise how little I knew about Sweden.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS
Globe-trotting gravel racer Joe Laverick chooses his eight favourite events, from coastal Wales to the wilds of Kenya
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Tempted to embark on a long-distance bike adventure? Let former round-the-world record holder and author Julian Sayarer inspire you to strike out and hit the road
Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes
Cornish team also alleged to owe former staff tens of thousands of pounds
JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE
I've ridden through hundreds of feed zones in my time racing a bike.
Lowden not ready to stop after retirement
Former Hour record holder eyes UK time trial scene
Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia
Slovenian makes it four in a row at the late-season Italian Monument
