After crashing out of the Tour de France, Tom Dumoulin of Giant-Alpecin is making his return to racing at the Vuelta a Espana. But he wont be seen too often at the start of the race, as he needs the opening two weeks to regain shape before targeting the final 9 days or so.

"I expect to be able to contend for the stage victories at the Vuelta, but after such an injury there is of course the question of how good I will actually be," said the Giant-Alpecin rider, according to De Telegraaf.

"I assume that I’ll still have to adjust over the first week, and also learn to deal with a certain fear that will still be with me when I ride in the peloton. In the second and third weeks I hope to battle for stage wins.”

Dumoulin has had a good year, winning time trials in the Basque Country and Switzerland, and he may have taken the Tour de France Yellow Jersey had he not crashed out.