Tom Dumoulin will target the Tour de France yellow jersey next month after being named in Team Sunweb’s initial squad for the race.
For the first time in his career the Dutchman will race for the general classification title at back-to-back Grand Tours, Dumoulin having finished second at the Giro d’Italia.
Dumoulin was denied successive Giro titles last month after a supreme performance from Chris Froome, the Team Sky rider producing a sublime solo break in stage 19 that effectively secured the title.
Racing at the Tour was not part of Dumoulin’s original plans for 2018 but he hopes he can use the momentum from the Giro to be in contention.
“I am very proud of what we’ve already achieved at the Giro and I consider any result that we can take at the Tour de France a bonus for this season,” he said.
“My season so far has been focused on the Giro and the team purposely waited to the make the decision about the Tour until after the Giro had finished.
“After a good Giro we’ve chosen to go to the Tour with a GC focus, to learn without a specific result in mind.
“Doing two consecutive grand tours for a GC will be a new experience for me and the team, and will give us some valuable insights for the future.”
