It would have been enough look at his face carefully at the top of the Blockhaus to understand how it would endDumoulin was standing in the middle of the street on the day when everyone was expecting the first ring from him and he seemed a stranger to the scene. He was staring at a point on the horizon, but his mind was elsewhere..
The 9-minute time on Etna, which had initially been attributed to the heat and the first uphill finish, had just found another explanation. A year had passed since his return to cycling. Third place in the Budapest time trial had given rise to hope that he had found his feet again; the Giro would be his rebirth. Instead, Tom suddenly collapsed again. His crystal-thin talent began to crumble again. Cycling is so demanding, that even the smallest crack becomes fatal..
The bike is not the cure
In Holland they don't give up, or perhaps it would be better to say they don't give up. A bit like when here Every effort was made to get Pantani back on the bike, even though it was clear that the bike was no longer the cure.They talk about viruses. Back problems. The after-effects of Covid. All certainly possible causes, which become insurmountable in a man who has long since lost the will or ability to overcome the threshold of suffering. It's clear that if the legs don't turn properly, the head goes downBut in this sort of vicious circle, who can say which discomfort comes before the other?
Burned in 2020
«In 2020 I had a very difficult period – he said after his retirement, which occurred in the Turin stage – and by the end of that year I trained a lot and burned out. At the beginning of 2021 I was already a shadow and I decided to take myself a break from cycling to think about my future. And when I started again, Despite some good days, many times, especially this year, I have experienced frustrating periodsMy body felt tired and still feels tired. As soon as the load in training or competition increases, I suffer from tiredness, pain and injuries instead of improving. The effort in training no longer leads to the desired performance. For some time now there has been an imbalance between my 100 percent dedication to cycling and what I get in return.
“With a lot of patience and a very cautious approach,” he added, “I’m convinced I can return to my full potential. But it would be too long a road, with no guarantees of success.. For this reason I chose not to follow her and to abandon active cycling instead and to embark on a new and unknown path."
Signs of fragility
The riders are naked before a world that raises expectations and then judges themThe stopwatch isn't even the hardest thing, performances can happen or not. What matters is judgment and sense of responsibility that a transparent athlete like Dumoulin probably can't handle anymore. They pay me to win. I can't. I collapse. He hid in 2020, putting himself at the service of Roglic, then the problem exploded in all its clarity.
Will he come back? Will he want to reset the situation and then try to start over? The Dutch media are hoping for it, but his words don't really leave much room for hope.When you don't reach the highest level for too long, the only way to overcome the challenge is by running, and then running again. And the feeling is that Tom doesn't want to do it anymore.
"I don't know yet what I want to do after my active cycling career," he said, "and I don't even want to know right now. But I know that My love for cycling will always keep me connected to the world of cycling One way or another. I'm very curious to know what the future holds for me. I feel happy and grateful and I already look back on my career with great pride.».
Team change
He will arrive at the World Cup, as he was the Tokyo time trial gave him the desire to start again. It was rumoured that, once the contract with the expired Team Jumbo Visma, would be passed to the Bike Exchange, where he would have found the Giant bike with which he won the Giro, but his announcement seems to have also cut the last thread that tied him to the group.
«The team and I – he said – will now do a plan together to make these last few months more beautiful, fun and hopefully successful. I'm especially looking forward to getting to the World Cup in Australia, where I would like to get one last medal in the time trial."
Control of his life
Koos Moerenhout is the Dutch time trial coach and He stopped racing in 2010, on the eve of the arrival of the young Dumoulin at his own RabobankHe was the one who waited for his return to the Olympics and once again opened the doors for him.
«Tom is a specialist – he said – a man who He knows exactly what it takes to do well in an important time trial event.I trusted him last year, and I'm doing it again now, without a doubt. Especially since he's the first to say he wants to aim for the highest possible result. It's a shame to lose such a champion, but if he feels this way, then we should let him control his own life».
