Jumbo Visma's Tom Dumoulin has yet to race in 2020, and like his fellow professional athletes who have been kept away from racing due to the coronavirus crisis, the Dutchman is still unsure when his season debut will be.
The 29-year-old is back to full fitness after a knee injury suffered in a crash at the 2019 Giro d'Italia and has been training at a high-altitude camp in Tenerife, Spain, in hopes of returning to competition at the now-delayed Volta a Catalunya at the end of March.
The forced shutdown of pro cycling was another hurdle to overcome for Dumoulin, who has not raced since the Criterium du Dauphiné last June due to a delayed start to the season caused by an intestinal parasite.
"I'm back in shape, but I can't do much at the moment," Dumoulin told Dutch public broadcaster NOS on Sunday.
"It's incredibly frustrating and I'm really looking forward to the moment when I can wear the jersey number again. But that moment seems to be getting further away every day," the 2017 Giro winner said.
Along with compatriot Steven Kruijswijk and 2019 Vuelta a España champion Primoz Roglic (neither of whom are racing in 2020), Dumoulin will be part of a powerful three-pronged attack by his new team, Jumbo Visma, at this year's Tour de France He is set to be part of the attack.
However, this year's Tour is uncertain and will not take place, at least not in the original June 27-July 19 timeframe.
"No one knows with 100% certainty what the virus will do over the summer," Dumoulin said, according to NOS.nl." He said, "I understand that the Tour organizers are going to keep the door open, but I'm going to stay in shape anyway, so not much has changed for me.
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