With his heroic victory in the ninth stage of the Tour de France, Tom Dumoulin smashed all his previous records in one blow. And that while the talented racer from Maastricht will be going for gold again in the Olympic Games in Rio next month. And that's why Tom leaves nothing to chance.
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Dumoulin leaves nothing to chance
“I'm very satisfied with my time-trial bike. Especially the Shimano electronic shifters. They shift extremely smoothly, both when braking and in the time-trial posture.”
A time trial can be won or lost in a fraction of a second. Tom Dumoulin tells us how important it is for your confidence to have a bike that is perfectly coordinated with your own capabilities as a cyclist. His advice? Once you've got everything exactly as you want it, leave it alone.
With all time trials that Dumoulin starts, confidence in the material is essential. When a rider's confidence is shaky, he'll never set the best time on the clock. At high speeds, everything on your bike must be sound: the brakes, the wheels, the frame and the handlebars. The Giant-Alpecin squad primarily opted for the Shimano and PRO brands, to Dumoulin's intense satisfaction.
“It might sound a little dull, but I'm hugely satisfied with my time-trial bike. As I said, the shifters are really smooth, both when braking and when I'm in the time-trial stance.” If you've ever watched a time trial, you'll probably recognise the sound like a gun shot. As the cyclist shifts gear, the chain switches seamlessly to another cog.
Dumoulin: “And that really is unequalled. I used to ride using a mechanical gear-change, as many amateurs still do. And that never changed as automatically as the electronic gearshifts of today. So we're really talking about a genuine revolutionary development.”
"We also ride with shifters near the brakes, and that simply saves time.”
Tom Dumoulin
“In teams using other components, you still see cyclists sitting briefly to change gear while accelerating. Then they stand again. That's of course extremely irritating, especially on an uphill section of a time trial. We also ride with shifters near the brakes, and that simply saves time.”
“I've never had any problems with Shimano's shifting system. There will of course sometimes be problems – that's the case with any product that has been manufactured. Occasionally something always breaks, but I've never had that.
“I've never had any problems with Shimano's shifting system."
Tom Dumoulin
The Limburger is no maniac but he does like to keep control of everything. Tom doesn't just do anything. He thinks about every step, every movement, every turn of his pedals. He is frequently asked his opinion. If Dumoulin is not happy about something, it is adapted to his requirements in quick tempo. There is basically no better test person.
