His Giro d'Italia victory cemented 2017 as the biggest year of his career all the way back in May, but Team Sunweb's Tom Dumoulin is decidedly not resting on his springtime laurels.
Few could fault him if he were to take it easy for the rest of the season after such a hard-earned Giro victory, but Dumoulin quickly proved that a relaxing summer and fall weren't in the cards. Upon returning to competition after a monthlong break during the Tour de France, he showed no signs of rust, delivering a respectable fourth-place finish at the Clasica San Sebastian before winning the overall title at the BinckBank Tour.
Now, he's in Canada for the GPs Québec and Montréal, with the Bergen World Championships on the horizon. Press conferences and interviews in Canada always gravitate towards talk of rainbow jerseys, but Dumoulin insists he didn't cross the Atlantic just to tweak his form ahead of the Bergen Worlds, where he'll be among the favourites in the time trial and at least a contender in the road race.
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"I'm more focused on Worlds, but when I'm here I want to win. Or at least try! I made the whole travel not just to see the city, but to race hard and hopefully win," Dumoulin told Cyclingnews in Quebec. He finished second in the Quebec race back in 2014, passed by winner Simon Gerrans in the closing metres.
Considering the hilly profiles of both Canadian races, he and Sunweb teammate Michael Matthews are among the main favourites, and Dumoulin sounded pleased with the way things have been going lately in training.
"I had three weeks off now from racing. I went to altitude camp and did one last real big block of preparation for these races and the Worlds. I'm just hoping it works out. I didn't have a lot of race days this year, but obviously it was quite a hectic year for me. We'll see what's left in the tank. I think that's a question for everyone. But I feel good now."
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