Tom Dumoulin opened up about his leadership struggles at Team Sunweb, admitting that he is much more comfortable attacking on the three pillars of Jumbo-Visma at this year's Tour de France.

Dumoulin caused a stir last season when he said he wanted to leave Sunweb for rival Jumbo-Visma. In the end, Dumoulin got his wish and was released from his contract early, but last year was a difficult year for the 2017 Giro d'Italia winner: he crashed at the 2019 Corsa Rosa, and the injuries he suffered eventually led to surgery and forced him to miss the Tour de France. The 29-year-old, who has not raced since last year's Criterium du Dauphiné, had an illness and infection ruin the start of Jumbo Visma's career.

The former time trial world champion remains part of a three-way attack planned for the Tour, along with last year's third-place finisher Steven Kruijswijk and 2019 Vuelta a España winner Primoz Roglic.5]

"In Sunweb, I'm a lot races I was the absolute leader of the team," Dumoulin said on the team's website.

"The whole team worked for me. And now with Team Jumbo-Visma, and in the upcoming Tour de France, if the race is held, we will start with three leaders. I like that very much. That's what I've been looking for too. In Sunweb it was very difficult to withstand the pressure of the whole team working just for me."

Jumbo Visma made the unprecedented decision to announce his Tour de France team in December. When the race resumes later this season, it remains to be seen whether the eight pre-selected riders will make the team. But Dumoulin has no doubt that if Roglic and Kruijswijk improve, they may be forced to abandon their personal ambitions of challenging for the Tour de France.

"So I like this new situation very much. It gives me the opportunity to prove myself. If I am good enough, the team will run for me. But if I'm not good enough, I have to work for the other players. And that is the agreement we have made together, and I fully support it."

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"We have to take everything into account. And that the Tour this year will be cancelled. But for the time being, it looks like we will be able to race again in two months. Our main goal is to win the Tour de France. My desire is to win the Tour de France. So that's what I'm trying to do."