Tom Dumoulin was a revelation at the 2015 Vuelta a Espana as he won two stages and held the race leader's red jersey until the penultimate day, eventually finishing sixth overall . It was the Giant-Alpecin rider's first attempt at riding for the general classification in a grand tour and power data files released after the Spanish race suggest Dumoulin has the ability to win a three week race according to his coach Adrian Helmantel.
Dumoulin was on hand for the unveiling of the 2016 Giro d'Italia in Milan on Monday that starts in his home country of the Netherlands and features 61km of time trialling suiting the characteristics of the 24-year-old. Asked by journalists, including Cyclingnews, of his initial reaction to the percoso, Dumoulin was quick to explain that he and his team would need to analyse the route much more carefully before deciding whether he would make his debut at the race.
"I see it now for the first time so it's difficult to have an opinion already but it looks like a good mix and a mix that favours also a time trialist so it's good," Dumoulin said of the percorso made "more special" by the Dutch grande partenza.
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Asked then if the route is temping enough to ride next May, he added, "I don't know yet. We have to make a plan in the coming winter about it. It could definitely be an option."
The Giro will open with a 9.8km time trial in Apeldoorn but is the 40km stage nine time trial in the Chianti vineyards which is better suited to the chrono skills of the Dutchman. Dumoulin described the landscape of the Tuscan vineyards as some of his favourite riding conditions, adding the caveat that the rolling, twisty roads wouldn't be as advantageous as a flat test against the clock the Giro featured last year on stage 14.
"I don't know the course of Chianti but I only know what you told me," he said of whether the time trial would temp riders such as himself to the race. "Rolling is always good for me, twisty-turny, rolly …that's how I like it. Also completely flat like the Worlds time trial would maybe be better in terms of getting time on an opponent but how I like it the best is rolling, twisty.."
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