Dumoulin: Thomas was the strongest in the last three weeks

it would have been different for Thomas, because he would have attacked me, says Dumoulin frankly. "He took a step back on some stages because he was rather safe, he played in the mountains safely and if I had been closer without the lost time to Mur-de-Bretagne, he would have taken more time in the mountains "As I said, Thomas has been the strongest in the last three weeks, and he has shown that every day, wasting time on Mûr-de-Bretagne does not would not do it. "»

In truth, as at last month's Giro d'Italia, Dumoulin had nothing more valuable to do on this Tour. Campaign of Italy and it n & # 39; He did not suffer in 1945 day without in the high mountains, he invented the invention by attacking on the road to La Rosière, he continued to probe Thomas in the Pyrenees and he won the Saturday time trial. "" I'm really happy with my second place. "If someone had said that after such a Giro, I would win a stage and be new. water on the podium, I would have signed it immediately, "Dumoulin said.

"I'm also happy for Geraint Thomas because he was absolutely amazing for the last three weeks He was in the shape of his life.He made no mistake, he's never been put in trouble by anyone – including me – in the mountains or at any stage.I only have great respect for him.I am really not disappointed with my second place. "

Perhaps privately, Dumoulin may be frustrated to have managed to defeat the amazing Chris Froome – who dropped salbutamol. the day before the race – only to be deprived of the final final victory by another Sky pilot. Thomas, a little less announced, had never exceeded 15th place in the Grand Tour before July, but seemed impregnable throughout the race.

Team Sky has won six of the last seven tournaments with three different drivers and can afford to deploy men of the quality of Wout Poels, Michal Kwiatkowski and Egan Bernal as domestic and water carriers. Their team at the Giro – where Froome beat Dumoulin in second place – was hardly weaker. On the other hand, the Sunweb team's budget is rather more modest. Their training did not have the depth needed to compensate for the absence of injured Wilco Kelderman and young Sam Oomen, who was cautiously withheld after a great outing at the Giro.

"If you have more money to spend, it makes it easier sometimes, but the question is: are they happier?" Dumoulin joked when asked if the broad budget of Sky made it difficult to beat them. "Of course, having a big budget is important, but we have to make the most of it now and for the years to come."

"For this Tour de France and the past Giros, it has not made difference. Of course, we could not control the race as Sky did, but in the end it also depends on the leader's legs. In the past Tours and also the past Giro, they also had the strongest guy in the pack. You can have a strong team, but if you do not have legs to follow big attacks, you lose time, even with a strong team. It's too easy to say that Geraint Thomas had a big advantage with his team. No, he was just the strongest rider. "

One Grand Tour Only in 2019

Even before Saturday's time trial, Dumoulin knew too well that he would not review Thomas in the overall standings, and he seemed somewhat resigned, On the other hand, the Dutchman made a good performance on the 31km hilly course to deny Froome by 1 second and Thomas by 14, while a Roglic could only be placed 8th.

Dumoulin wore a broad smile on his face. arriving after confirming that he had conquered Froome to the stage victory – his third on the Tour after a winning streak in 2016 – but confessed that his expression had He was rather less serene when he woke up in the morning realizing that the combination of his world champion had disappeared over the past three weeks.

"It was a stressful morning for me and everyone, I was completely pissed off" says Dumoulin who was nat the time trial took place in the Basque Country, home of its supplier Etxe-Ondo. "They called a retired seamstress and made a brand new outfit this morning.They were all on vacation, they had nothing at the office, so they did a new suit this morning and have it led here. "

The last part of the season will likely see Dumoulin focus on maintaining this tunic at the Innbsruck Worlds and while his plans for 2019 are hardly in the making, he confirmed that he would only not another attempt at the Giro-Tour double.

"It would be logical to focus on the Tour de France next year, but it also depends" If it does not suit me at all in the Tour de France, I am more than happy to return to Giro I do not want to say that I am 100% sure that I will do the Tour de France next year, but that is sure I do not want to do two Grand Tours next year. "

Always 27 years After constant progress in the Grand Tours since his appearance at the Vuelta a España 2015, Dumoulin looks most likely to break the hegemony of Team Sky over the seasons to come, but he is aware that the history of the Tour is punctuated by men who "It is too easy to say:" He progresses every year and he will definitely win the Tour de France. "It's not so easy," Dumoulin said. that it is possible that it does not happen, and that it was my culmination. "