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Cycling: Tom Dumoulin announces he is "taking a break" in his career

2021-01-23T15:52:34.840Z


Roglic's teammate, winner of the Tour of Italy in 2017 and second in the Tour de France 2018, has left his team's camp. He announced


It's a little thunderclap that shakes the cycling planet this Saturday.

The Dutchman Tom Dumoulin announced that he left the training camp of his Jumbo-Visma team in Alicante (Spain) this Saturday to return home "in order to be able to reflect on his cycling future".

An indefinite break in his career.

“I made my decision yesterday (

Editor's note: Friday

), explained Dumoulin, in a long video.

And the team supports me, it feels good.

It really is as if a hundred kilogram bag was taken from my shoulders.

This morning I woke up happy.

It will do me good to have time for myself.

At the moment, that doesn't even make me sad.

That says it all.

"

Second in the Round in 2018

At 30, Dumoulin is one of the best rollers in the peloton.

He has a great track record with notably a victory in the Tour of Italy (2017), a title of world champion in the time trial (2017), three stages of the Tour de France, four of the Tour of Italy, and 2 of the Tour of Spain.

In the Tour de France, he finished 2nd in 2018 and 7th in 2020 where he worked a lot for the Slovenian Primoz Roglic.

His team, which also includes Wout Van Aert and Steven Kruijswijk, will therefore lose an important element for the Tour de France.

Arrived in 2020 at Jumbo after an eventful break with Sunweb, Dumoulin drags a knee injury that occurred in 2019 and has experienced some intestinal problems.

He has not won for nearly two and a half and his victory in the time trial stage of the Tour de France 2018. This year, he was to resume at the Strade Bianche (March 6) and participate in the Tour de France , then at the Olympics.

"I have the feeling that I don't know what to do anymore"

“I have felt for a long time that it is very difficult for me to know how to find my way as a professional runner,” he adds.

With the pressure that goes with it, with the expectations of the different parties.

I just want to do great for a lot of people.

I want the team to be happy with me.

I want the sponsors to be happy.

I want my wife and family to be happy.

And so I want to do well for everyone, but because of that I kind of forgot myself over the past year.

What does the man Tom Dumoulin want to do with his life today?

This is a question that has worked hard on me for several months.

I did not have time to answer it because the life of a cyclist followed its course.

Do I still want to be a cyclist?

If yes, how ?

If I want to win the Tour, how should I work?

Today, I have the feeling that I don't know what to do anymore, and let others answer for me, he continues.

This does not lead me to the expected results.

It makes me unhappy.

It's a shame, it shouldn't be like this.

That's why I'm going to take a break for a moment.

"

Dumoulin's decision is reminiscent of that of Marcel Kittel.

The German sprinter with 91 victories including 14 stages of the Tour de France had stopped his career at 31 years old in 2019 due to depression.

Source: leparis

All sports articles on 2021-01-23

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