Tour de France - Thomas De Gendt: This was perhaps my last mountain ever in the Tour
Jul 16 2021 08:00 am CET
Image: Lotto Soudal logo
Lotto-Soudal's Thomas De Gendt has suggested that this will be his last Tour de France.
De Gendt -who has been the star of breakaways of many races and many grand tours- mentioned to the media of his country, Belgium, that the 108th edition of La Grande Boucle might be his last one. The rider is doing his ninth Tour de France and thinks the 18th stage was his last day in the mountains of this edition of the race, was the last of his career.
"I don't have much to look for here, someone else can do it in my place next year," said De Gendt to Belgian broadcaster Sporza. "This was the last ascent in this Tour and perhaps my last mountain ever in the Tour. There is a very good chance that this was my last Tour, but Luz Ardiden is a nice climb to finish with.
"Next year someone else can try it in the Tour in my place. I haven't been able to show anything this year, and not last year either. I have very little to do here for myself, only as a helper. Then I better focus on another program."
The Belgian has ruled out the Vuelta a España, he doesn't have hopes for the World Championships, and he's thinking of approaching his next season in a completely different way. "I can't recover like other years. Two years ago I did all three grand tours one after the other, and then I started again almost without rest in the Tour Down Under. During the lockdown I actually had no rest, and then I rode two grand tours in two months, the Tour and the Giro. That destroyed my engine.
"It may not be bad to get off the bike for a few months and only start again in, for example, Paris-Nice. Most likely, I will only ride the Tour of Norway this year and a few Belgian one-day races, if they are one rider short."
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