Dumoulin: If Chris Froome pulls off another Finestre, there's nothing I can do
22 July 2018 12:42
Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) currently sits third overall at the Tour de France, and is well placed to challenge for the yellow jersey. But the Dutchman admits that if Chris Froome (Team Sky) delivers another Finestre-like performance, he could be helpless to stop him. Dumoulin currently has Froome in his sights, at just 11 seconds ahead of him on the GC, while Geraint Thomas is 1:50 in front of Dumoulin, leading the race. With an individual time trial to come on stage 20, Dumoulin knows that he can bide his time behind Froome in the Pyrenees and strike on his favoured terrain. However, in the back of his mind must be the fact that, no matter his condition, Froome could roll out another performance like the one on stage 19 between Venaria Reale and Bardonecchia at the Giro d'Italia, which featured the climb of the Colle delle Finestre. That day, Froome attacked 80 kilometres from the finish and singlehandedly held off the rest of the peloton to win the stage and seal the overall.ADVERTISEMENT ?Dumoulin confirmed that he is in better shape at this stage of the Tour than he was at this point in the Giro as he vies to win his second Grand Tour. "I'm slightly better than at the Giro. I'm climbing slightly better here. I was pretty stable over the three weeks at the Giro, and of course I don't know how it's going to be here," Dumoulin said after stage 14. When asked about the Froome's ride on the Finestre stage, and the danger of a possible repeat at the Tour, the Dutchman said: "It could happen. If Froome is better and he pulls one off, then I can't do anything about it. I just have to maintain my health and stay strong. I hope that doesn't happen. That day wasn't about tactics. I just couldn't follow."
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