"The tank is empty. I don't really know what I can say about it now", Dumoulin said, stricken. "This is extremely disappointing. I can't pedal away any power without it hurting. The form is simply not there. At this moment, I have no answer to the question why."

Dumoulin gradually experienced that he could not get the best out of himself during the past two weeks. "I noticed that I wasn't in my best shape this Giro. Nevertheless, I was determined to finish, and finish together with the rest of the team in Verona. I wanted to at least get the necessary race mileage. I tried to get myself in the zone every morning to make the best of it, but I simply didn't manage. My body is worn out."

Dumoulin rode to a podium finish in the time trial on the opening weekend. Moreover, he helped teammate Koen Bouwman to a satisfactory stage win in stage seven. "Those are the beautiful things I've been able to experience this Giro. I enjoyed them. But the last few days were tough. I'm going home now and need to recharge. Then we'll see again."

The Team Jumbo-Visma riders played a supporting role in the stage to Turin. Pascal Eenkhoorn, the red number wearer, and Sam Oomen, among others, tried to jump along with various breakaways at the beginning of the stage. Those efforts did not work out.

“We initially tried to get along”, said sports director Marc Reef. “Unfortunately, we didn’t manage. The focus is on the upcoming stages because we keep aiming for stage wins. We still have a few chances for that.”

Oomen indicated that the circumstances were not in his favour today. “After some hefty efforts to keep up, I noticed that recovering was difficult in this heat. A long struggle followed in which I refused to give up. I am pleased with how the guys support me and with the opportunity I get. Unfortunately, it’s not good enough to ride with the best, but the upcoming week will offer some opportunities. We will all continue to fight for some beautiful results.”