Tom Dumoulin is short of hands at the start of the Tour of Italy in Budapest to wave to fans and scribble on water bottles.
“There are two races that give me a very warm feeling: the Giro and the Amstel Gold Race,” says the Maastricht resident with a grin on his face.
Winner
The fans in Budapest have not forgotten the former winner of 2017. The time trial specialist took another shot at victory in 2018, but then he finished second behind Chris Froome. In 2019 he had to step down in the fifth stage with a knee injury.
time trial
Dumoulin’s spring was not as hoped. He missed the Strade Bianche due to a corona infection and got off in the Tour of Catalonia. But he has gained a lot of confidence from his high altitude training camp in Spain. “I really feel I have a good level to compete with the best in the time trials. I really hope to be able to go home with a stage win.” Saturday is the first time trial of 9.2 kilometers right through the center of Budapest.
Passion and fire
The 31-year-old from Maastricht does not yet know how he stands in the fight for the classification. “It’s a bit of coffee grounds to look at. It is my goal and I will go full steam for that, but I can’t predict whether that will work.” For Dumoulin, the start on Friday feels like coming home. “I love the Giro. It’s always chaos, but the people of the organization are full of passion and fire. That suits me, I like this more than when everything is tightly arranged to the minute.”