Leo van Vliet spoke several times with Tom Dumoulin last year during his cycling break. Dumoulin was a guest at the Amstel Gold Race, of which Van Vliet is race director.
The former cyclist told, in the presence of Dumoulin, about the meetings between the two. That happened in the L1 program EveningGuests Sports†
Ten minutes
The most visible meeting between Van Vliet and Dumoulin was in the Amstel Gold Race last year. Dumoulin stood by the side and rode in the car with Van Vliet. “Tom had indicated a bit that he wanted to see the race from the other side. We then had some nice conversations. After ten minutes I already thought he was going to cycle again,” says the race director of the Amstel Gold Race about that day.
January
However, the former cyclist made the first contact in January when Dumoulin announced his temporary cycling stop. “I sent him an app that I also experienced it in 1981. I didn’t like it anymore and then took a break. In the end I came back better,” says Van Vliet.
Hobby
A few months after the meeting during the Amstel Gold Race, Dumoulin visited Van Vliet in Amsterdam. “He was suddenly on my doorstep,” says Van Vliet. “Back then we went to my hobby. I also do model building with trucks. Then I was sure that he would start cycling again.” Dumoulin still remembers the meeting and the hobby of Van Vliet: “It was impressive”, says the Maastricht resident about the trucks.
Colombia
Since last summer, Dumoulin has been back on his bike and the Maastrichtian sometimes chooses his own path a little more. “For example, this year I went on an altitude internship in Colombia. That is something I really wanted and would not have done otherwise.” After the Amstel Gold Race, the next altitude stage is on the program for Dumoulin in the run-up to the Tour of Italy. “Now we go to Tenerife, I know what I have there.” Dumoulin will drive around the Spanish island with a large part of the Giro team.
Live
The Amstel Gold Race can be followed live on Sunday on L1†