Toilet Stop Hurts Race Leader’s Shot at Giro Overall
Going Number Two impacted cyclist Tom Dumoulin's shot at retaining his Number One position in the Giro d'Italia.
Going Number Two impacted cyclist Tom Dumoulin’s shot at retaining his Number One position in the Giro d’Italia. – By Bicycling Staff
‘I had to take a dump’@tom_dumoulin telling it like it is ?pic.twitter.com/CDrxhmIIBV
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) May 23, 2017
It was not the moment or the time in the race anymore to come to a complete shutdown because nature called me.
— Tom Dumoulin (@tom_dumoulin) May 23, 2017
In contrast, on Sunday, Movistar leader Quintana had thanked Dumoulin for slowing the pace of the peloton when he crashed so he could catch up.
In the end, he battled on the second ascension of the Stelvio to crest the snow-hit summit 2:06 behind Quintana and Nibali, and continued his valiant effort on the sinewy downhill to come over the line 2:17 in arrears after Nibali beat Spanish rival Mikel Landa (Sky) in a two-up sprint to end the hosts’ long wait for a stage win on the 100th edition.
With another four mountain stages still to come, time-trial specialist Dumoulin was left despondent.
“I’m still in [the leader’s jersey] but not with the lead I had hoped for,” a dejected-looking Dumoulin said at the finish.
Winner Nibali, who suggested Dumoulin had “not been feeding right” or perhaps suffered a chill due to the “cold temperatures,” had little sympathy for the Dutchman.
Now in third place overall at 1:12 behind Dumoulin, Nibali is back in with a fighting chance of winning his home race on its 100th edition.
But after the hosts waited 16 stages to celebrate a home win, he said: “Climbing the Mortirolo and the Stelvio—the highest peak on this year’s race—twice? This is a great stage win for me.
“The only regret I have is not putting my hands up at the finish to celebtate. But I was too busy sprinting.”
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