Following his win at the Giro d’Italia, Team Sunweb has extended the contract of Dutch rider Tom Dumoulin until the end of 2021. Following a single year at the Rabobank team, Dumoulin has been with his current squad since 2012.
In a statement he said he was happy with both his and the team’s development over the past few years, adding that he believed ‘there are still huge steps to come.’
At 26-years-old the rider’s stock must have risen sharply on the back of his victory, yet he’s choosing to stay put.
In a statement announcing the contract extension on their website the squad said: ‘Team Sunweb is extremely pleased to announce that Tom Dumoulin, winner of the General Classification at the 100th anniversary edition of the Giro d’Italia, has extended his contract with Team Sunweb until 2022.'
Dumoulin supplied the Sunweb team with their first Grand Tour GC win since the team's formation in 2005.
Having convincingly beaten Nairo Quintana (Movistar), and at six years younger than Chris Froome (Team Sky), Dumoulin is seen as having the potential to rival the older rider in the next few years.
A talented all rounder, he certainly fits the recent profile of the biggest stage race's more prolific winners by being a time triallist who is also capable of attacking in the mountains.
Dumoulin's break through performance came at the 2015 Vuelta a España. Having been forced to abandon that year's Tour de France following a crash on stage three, Dumoulin recovered in time to race at the Vuelta.
In and out of the leader’s jersey numerous times, he eventually had to settle for the race’s combativity prize.
The result led to him being talked of as a potential GC winner. He followed this by winning the Giro’s opening time trial the next summer and spent six days in pink, before ceding the leader's jersey and retiring from the race with illness.
Dumoulin has lready ruled out riding the Tour this season and it’s not yet confirmed if he will race the Vuelta later this summer.
However, he’s back in competition at Tour de Suisse next week.