Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin has given an outspoken interview with De Limburger newspaper where he has criticised the decision of the UCI to award the forthcoming World Championships to Qatar.
He has also given his opinion of the Bradley Wiggins situation whereby it was revealed earlier this week that the British rider had been given TUEs (Therapeutic Use Exemptions) for the banned drug triamcinolone.
Wiggins had received the TUEs prior to the Tour de France in 2011 and 2012 and also the 2013 Giro d’Italia.
Regarding the World Championships, Dumoulin is critical over the fact that labour conditions are so poor in Qatar and also questions what the atmosphere will be like at the Championships.
“Many Indians go to Qatar to work who are in a bad state. I’m not going to mention slavery, but that country is far removed from our values. Whether it’s worse or not? You find your own culture is better.”
“Also, there will be very few spectators and it will be totally bleak. All in all, it would have been better to keep the World Championships in a different, more cycling-loving country.”
“I can also see the benefits though. There is a lot of money up for grabs for the UCI,” he goes on to say. “Qatar will pay the UCI millions to be able to organize the Worlds.”
“What does the UCI do with the money? That’s not going to the sport, because we have to for example pay almost everything ourselves to ride the team time-trial. It’s crooked. And that is the UCI, not Qatar. I think the UCI are perhaps bigger crooks than the whole of Qatar together.”
Dumoulin also goes on to speak about the recent leak of TUEs after the WADA database was hacked by the Russian Fancy Bears group.
“It’s very strange that Wiggins always took medication in the same period. And injecting? Then you must have really bad asthma, something they do not usually do for normal asthmatics, let alone athletes who have exercise-induced asthma.”
“Apparently Wiggins’ injection also worked for weeks. Then in my opinion, you should be out of competition for weeks. That thing stinks.”
Very arguable the “our culture is better” sentence, but about everything else he’s got a point. Most about the Wiggins/Froome situation.
Conclusion: Not just the Wiggins case stinks. The UCI stinks.
I admire him but he needs to win something to get over his anger.
Yes a very bitter man that really needs a win. Then he might shut his moaning up!
I suppose you are British. Brits never take criticism very well/
Hahaha… oh, you’re serious.
tiens, il est loin d’être con, ce garçon! Respect, monsieur!
His ‘culture’ comment was meant at a third party self reflection, as in, it is not an absolute truth, just a cultural comparison. As for his win record and whether he is professionally qualified to speak with such authority… I think he is very quaified. 2010
1st Stage 8 (ITT) Girobio
1st Overall GP du Portugal
1st Stage 3
7th UCI World Under-23 Time Trial Championships
2011
1st
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Overall Le Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux
3rd Overall Olympia’s Tour
3rd Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23
8th UCI World Under-23 Time Trial Championships
8th Liège–Bastogne–Liège Espoirs
2012
5th Rund um Köln
5th Overall Tour de Luxembourg
6th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
7th National Time Trial Championships
7th National Road Race Championships
10th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
2013
1st
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Mountains classification Vuelta a Andalucía
2nd National Road Race Championships
2nd Overall Eneco Tour
3rd National Time Trial Championships
5th Overall Tour of Belgium
1st
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Young rider classification
6th Overall Three Days of De Panne
6th Grand Prix de Wallonie
2014
1st
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National Time Trial Championships
1st RaboRonde Heerlen
1st Stage 2 (ITT) Critérium International
2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
1st
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Young rider classification
2nd Overall Tour of Alberta
1st
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Young rider classification
1st Prologue
2nd Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
3rd Overall Eneco Tour
1st
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Points classification
1st Stage 3 (ITT)
3rd
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UCI World Time Trial Championships
5th Overall Tour de Suisse
6th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
2015
1st Stage 6 (ITT) Tour of the Basque Country
3rd Overall Tour de Suisse
1st Stages 1 (ITT) & 8 (ITT)
4th Overall Tour Down Under
4th National Time Trial Championships
5th UCI World Time Trial Championships
6th Overall Vuelta a España
1st Stages 9 & 17 (ITT)
Held
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after Stages 5, 9–10 & 17–19
Held
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after Stages 9–14
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Combativity award Stage 17, 21 & Overall
Tour de France
Held
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after Stage 2
2016
1st
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National Time Trial Championships
Tour de France
1st Stages 9 & 13 (ITT)
Jersey red number.svg
Combativity award Stage 9
Giro d’Italia
1st Stage 1 (ITT)
Held
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after Stages 1–2, 4–7
Held
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after Stage 1
2nd
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Time trial, Olympic Games
3rd Overall Tour of Britain
4th Overall Tour of Oman
5th Overall Tour de Romandie
Think he is spot on. As a pro-cyclist who has won, he is entitled to his opinion. He doesn’t sound angry to me. Sounds very thoughtful. I happen to agree with his stance on the worlds. If a man rapes a women in Qatar she is punished for infidelity. (As published recently). I think the UCI has a moral duty to demonstrate its objection to inequality. Looks like the UCI has gone for the money.
Tom makes a great point here on Wiggins! Not judging yet but his use of TUE’s should be reviewed!!
Good man Tom not afraid to speak out which is a big problem
Pretty neutral opinion. Great article.
Yep. What a shit fight. Teams an Country’s should boycott the race.
Good for him. Needed to be said.
As someone who has suffered from acute hayfever – I would take just about anything to get through the day let alone the Tour de France