Tom Dumoulin is expected to make his return to Grand Tour racing at the 2022 Giro d’Italia, where he won the maglia rosa in 2017.
The Jumbo-Visma rider took time out from the sport in the first half of 2021 for personal reasons but returned in the summer and won the silver medal in the time trial at the Tokyo Olympics. Dumoulin’s season was cut short by a wrist fracture but he has returned to training and has said he is motivated to take on a full season of racing, including a Grand Tour.
L’Equipe first suggested that Dumoulin will target the Giro d'Italia in an interview with the Dutchman on December 23 and on Monday Il Corriere della Sera said the same during an interview with race director Mauro Vegni. On Tuesday, WielerFlits said various sources had confirmed that Dumoulin will be at the start of the Corsa Rosa in Budapest on Friday, May 6.
“One thing that is certain is that I’ll continue to aim for the general classification in certain races," Dumoulin told L’Equipe.
Jumbo-Visma were expected to confirm their major goals and team leaders at a team presentation in Amsterdam on December 22. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the presentation has now been put back until January 11.
Primoz Roglic is expected to lead Jumbo-Visma’s assault on the Tour de France with Jonas Vingegaard and Steven Kruijswijk also part of the expected squad. They have already begun reconnaissance rides of the cobbled sectors of stage 5.
Dumoulin has not ridden a Grand Tour since 2020. He finished seventh overall at the Tour de France but then abandoned the Vuelta a España.
The 2022 Giro d’Italia would be Dumoulin’s fifth participation in the race. He failed to finish on his debut in 2016 after winning the opening stage and impressing during his stint in pink, but he won the 2017 edition and was second overall behind Chris Froome in 2018. Dumoulin also placed second overall in the 2018 Tour de France, but he was forced to abandon the 2019 Giro after suffering a nasty knee injury on stage 5.
The 2022 Giro features just 26.3km of time trialing and seven mountain-top finishes. Dumoulin’s overall rivals are expected to include Miguel Angel Lopez and Vincenzo Nibali (Astana Qazaqstan), Mikel Landa (Bahrain Victorious), Richard Carapaz and Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers), Giulio Ciccone (Trek-Segafredo), and Simon Yates (BikeExchange-Jayco).
