Dutch time trial specialist Tom Dumoulin (Argos-Shimano) said himself well up for a good GC result in the Eneco Tour by finishing 2nd behind Sylvain Chavanel in yesterday's time trial. The Dutchman was surprised by his good performance as he hasn't felt good in the first part of the race.

Argos-Shimano is mostly known as a sprinters' team but the team has entered the Eneco Tour with rare GC ambitions. Time trial specialist Tom Dumoulin is perfectly suited to his home race and the team has always been confident that their youngster could mix it up with the best.

The sacrificed their chances in the sprint on Thursday when a late crash was about to cost Dumoulin some time on GC and that decision proved to be a wise one. Yesterday, the Dutchman finished 2nd in the time trial to move into 3rd on GC, 8 seconds off the overall lead of Lars Boom (Belkin).

For Dumoulin himself, the result came as a surprise.

“To be honest, I did not expect this result,” he said. “So far this Tour I haven’t felt 100% or very sharp like I did in the Tour de France. It is also quite stressful racing on the Dutch roads, so the situation so far hasn’t been ideal."

“But during the warm-up I felt quite good, but still a bit unsure as to how good I was. During the race I felt strength in the legs and saw that the power was actually really good, so it was a matter of pushing the pedals."

Actually, Dumoulin now has some regrets over his performance.

“Of course I am now thinking what I could have done to go faster in the first part of the race, as since I was unsure on my form I did not go full gas," he explained. "However I am really satisfied and next time I know I can race for the win."

Dumoulin is no bad climber and should have a good chance of staying in contention during the hilly weekend stages. However, he refuses to look to far ahead.

“Now, we have two days of war left ahead which will be very difficult," he said. "But I don’t want to think too much about it. First I will enjoy today and we will see what happens tomorrow."

“This is a race that suits me very well, but Chavanel and Boom also. But we will do our best as a team to show ourselves.”

Coach Rudi Kemna was encouraged by Dumoulin's performance.

“We did not expect a second place but this was a perfect course for Tom,” he said. “He checked the course beforehand a few times and then did a super job today. It will be important for us now to follow tomorrow. The time gaps are still very small so it’s important not to lose any time.”

Today's stage takes the riders into the Ardennes and has a highly anticipated uphill finish on the Cote de La Redoute. Starting at 14.30 you can follow the stage on CyclingQuotes.com/live.