Tom Dumoulin says cycling calendar could be permanently redesigned after coronavirus

Tom Dumoulin was anticipating a much simpler 2020 season.

The Grand Tour star suffered a turbulent year in 2019, after a prolonged knee injury derailed his ambitions.

Dumoulin then came into the new season fully fit and with a new team, Jumbo-Visma, before his luck ran out once again.

After he was forced to miss his first scheduled race of the year, the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana after he was diagnosed with stomach parasites, the global coronavirus crisis upended the entire cycling calendar.

It is currently unclear when pro racing will return, but Dutchman Dumoulin does see an opportunity to redesign the season.

In an interview with Belgian broadcaster Sporza, Dumoulin said: “I had high expectations, but this year has not brought any luck so far.

“This is a crazy situation. I came from a rotten year and had high hopes for 2020 – now we are going full throttle after knee injury.”

Dumoulin says it is unlikely the Tour de France, his major goal for the year, will go ahead on its scheduled date, but he says it could be moved closer to the Vuelta a España, while the Giro d’Italia could be run to overlap with one of the other Grand Tours.

The 29-year-old also suggested that the cycling calendar should be extended to mid-November with the spring Classics held in the early October or early November, with the World Championships in its usual spot of late September.

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He added: “I think every season should move on for a month. In mid-November, the weather here in Belgium and the Netherlands is often fantastic, whereas in mid-February we sometimes still have snow.

“If we extend the season to November, we can start a month later in 2012 and continue that in future. That seems fantastic to me.”