'I come here with high expectations again' says Dutchman
Image 1 of 5
Tom-Jelte Slagter (Dimension Data) on the podium(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom-Jelte Slagter (Dimension Data) in the breakaway(Image credit: Getty Images)
Former winner Tom-Jelte Slagter makes his Dimension Data debut at the race(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Tom-Jelte Slagter (Dimension Data)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Tom Jelte Slagter of The Netherlands and Team Dimension Data(Image credit: Getty Images)
All eyes have understandably been on Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo), Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) and time trial world champion Rohan Dennis (Bahrain-Merida) in the build-up to the Tour Down Under, but spare a thought for 2013 overall champion Tom Jelte Slagter (Dimension Data).
The Dutchman has been ticking over nicely during the winter and arrives in Australia with the aim of making it onto the overall podium. It’s not an unimaginable goal given that the 29-year-old finished third in last year’s race and returns with an arguably stronger team around him this year.
“I come here with high expectations again,” the modest all-rounder told Cyclingnews at the start of stage 1 in Adelaide.
“I like this year’s course. It’s harder than the ones in recent years. I hope that it’s in my favour, because I’ve trained a lot for this race. Hopefully it pays off. It’s hard to talk about minimum expectations, but the goal is the podium and after that we’ll see.
“In the last 10 years the level has gone up and up and more teams have come here with a higher level and a GC guy," he said. "Last year I did more or less the same time on Willunga as when I won the race, but Richie was faster.”
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
