For the first time since he suddenly took a break in his career, Tom Dumoulin showed his face again on Sunday as a visitor at a cycling race. At the Amstel Gold Race, this led to delighted reactions from his teammates from Jumbo-Visma.
Dumoulin attended the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday at the invitation of race director Leo van Vliet, which started in his hometown Maastricht. Also at the finish in Vilt, the winner of the Giro d’Italia of 2017 and number two in the Tour de France (2018) stood looking at his colleagues in a leather jacket and white sneakers.
It was the first time that Dumoulin stepped out of his self-chosen anonymity, after he suddenly announced at the end of January that he would stop indefinitely. The thirty-year-old Limburger had lost pleasure in the sport and became unhappy because of pressure he imposed on himself and pressure from outside.
Dumoulin was left alone by the media in Limburg on Sunday and, together with his wife, was able to follow the course that was not accessible to the public. He saw his teammate Wout van Aert cross the line as the winner and immediately after the finish spoke for minutes with Sam Oomen, Robert Gesink and Lennard Hofstede.
Two fans of Tom Dumoulin along the Amstel Gold Race course.
Two fans of Tom Dumoulin along the Amstel Gold Race course. Photo: Pro Shots
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Dumoulin’s future plans are not yet known
“It was very nice to have a chat with Tom”, said Oomen, who was first at Sunweb and later at Jumbo-Visma teammate of the 2017 time trial world champion. “What are we talking about? About everything actually.”
Although Dumoulin has taken some distance from cycling, he still keeps in touch with Oomen. “We still talk to each other now and then, he is a friend of mine,” said Oomen.
De Brabander knows nothing about Dumoulin’s future plans. “No. And if I knew, I wouldn’t say that. But it sure was good to see him here again.”
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