TAKING PINK IN JERUSALEM

Dumoulin got his irst win of the season on the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia, a 9.7km TT in Jerusalem. The win gave him the leader’s pink jersey and got his title defence off to the perfect start

Pro: This was your first victory of 2018, and it also meant you started the Giro exactly where you left off last year’s race - wearing the pink jersey after the first stage.

TD: My first win, taken in the rainbow jersey and then getting the leader’s jersey. It took a while, but that made it even better. I was feeling much better and was very excited for this race. We were in Jerusalem a couple of days before the start – what an impressive city, especially the old part, where our hotel was located. I actually took a ride through the centre which was something I wasn’t really supposed to do. It was very special for me to win in such a historic and notable city.

Pro: It makes for a great photo. Everything is sparkling white, and then all the rainbow colours. Do you have any say in the design of your jersey? TD: No, not really. The original plan was for black

shorts, but I didn’t think it suited the time trial suit. It’s not the ‘done thing’ to wear white shorts during the road race, but the chrono kit is completely white.

Pro: Did you start the Giro with the mindset of, ‘I’m not defending my title, I just want to perform well here again’?

TD: This feeling of, ‘I really want to show that I can do it again, that I can come back strong,’ began to creep in last winter and during the spring – just in time for the Giro. I was able to approach the race with a ‘we’ll see’ attitude. I was excited to spend three weeks trying to get the very best out of myself and seeing what result I would get at the end – that was my mindset. I really struggled with myself during the winter and at the start of the new season. I realised that I didn’t enjoy cycling as much as normal when I put too much pressure on myself and a relaxed approach definitely makes me a lot happier.