Tom Dumoulin will target the Tour de France and Olympic Games in 2020 and forgo taking another run at the Giro d'Italia's maglia rosa.
The 2017 Giro winner recently told Nos that he doesn't believe the proximity of the Olympics to the Tour will be a problem, and his preparation will be entirely focused on those two events.
Now riding regularly after recovering from a knee injury that kept him out of the Tour, the Vuelta and the UCI Road World Championships, the 28-year-old Dutchman spoke with Nos in Maastricht.
"The recovery from my knee injury is going according to expectations, and I hope to ride the Tour de France and the Olympic Games next season," he said. "I ride every day."
Dumoulin's 2019 season was knocked off kilter when he crashed hard during stage 4 at the Giro d'Italia and was eventually forced to abandon with knee pain. A rushed return saw him start the Critérium du Dauphiné, but he abandoned the race before the start of stage 7, ending his season in June and straining his relationship with Team Sunweb.
The Dutchman and the German team parted ways in August, and he signed with Dutch team Jumbo-Visma through 2022.
"That period of rest did make me think,"Dumoulin told Nos. "I now know what I want to achieve in my career. I want to be the best version of myself on the bike for another five, six or maybe seven years and that feeling is now stronger than ever."
Dumoulin revealed to Nos that his training is going well, including a four-hour ride through the mountains with soon-to-be teammate and fellow time trial specialist Jos van Emden.
Dumoulin's first major target of 2020, the Tour de France, ends on July 19, while the Tokyo Games start just five days later, with the men's road race slated for July 25 and the time trial set for July 29.
"It is not the most ideal scenario," he said, "but I am convinced that I can combine the Tour and the Olympic Games."
