Dumoulin talks about Visma and retirement: "I just couldn't do it anymore"

The Giro d'Italia winner always looks forward to the Amstel Gold Race. "I grew up in Maastricht in an ordinary family that had nothing to do with cycling. But once a year, we would go and watch the Amstel, which, at the time, was still finished on the Maasboulevard. We lived close by. I remember it like it was yesterday: Michael Boogerd and Lance Armstrong on the Kennedy Bridge, with the helicopter above them. That really made an impression on me."

For the Limburger, that was why he later became a cyclist. "Maybe that's where the spark was ignited, yes. In my first years as a professional, it felt like a dream come true. I remember the first Tour with Argos-Shimano when we won four stages with Marcel Kittel. I had a strong role in the sprint train, and in all the other stages, I could do what I wanted and discover my abilities. I can now say that was the most enjoyable and best time of my career."

But Dumoulin admits that his professional cyclist years weren't always the best. "I just couldn't do it anymore. I wasn't getting any satisfaction out of it. I was just a performer. The dietitian told me what to eat. The trainer told me how to train and where to race. Without asking, how do you feel about that, or how do you feel about it? That's where I got stuck."

"In the early years, everyone gave me pieces of the puzzle, my trainer and the dietitian," the Dutchman continues. "I threw myself into it with full enthusiasm: okay, the coach says interval training; how will I fit that into my schedule? At that moment, I felt like I was assembling my career puzzle. But in the end, I had become a piece in someone else's puzzle."

And according to the former pro, the key to success is finding the right balance as a professional cyclist. "The best riders today are indeed those who find that balance best. Pogacar and Van der Poel joined a team at a young age and were encouraged to listen to their instincts. Mathieu still has a considerable amount of autonomy. He eats healthily and uses all the science available but decides which races he will and will not ride."

According to Dumoulin, that balance is somewhat lacking in his former team, Visma | Lease a Bike. "With their data-driven approach, they have achieved huge success for several years. That approach certainly works for some riders. It is challenging for Visma to find the right balance between data, science, and human coaching."

Dumoulin is an analyst at NOS, but he certainly does not rule out a full return to cycling. "A few years ago, I would have said no. At the time, the idea was to go back to studying. But now, I would find it a missed opportunity not to pass on my experience. I'm not going to become a sports director right away; that's not my place, but maybe I can contribute something to the mental coaching of riders."

"On the day of the Tour of Flanders, I had no reason to be there, but together with my girlfriend and former press officer Bennie Ceulen, I went to watch anyway. I spent the whole day trying to see as many riders as possible. Then I'm back to being the little boy who used to stand here on the Maasboulevard watching the Amstel," concludes Dumoulin, who still enjoys this wonderful sport.