Tom Dumoulin did a great performance at the Vuelta a Espana with a 6th place overall. But the Giant -Alpecinrider was tired at the start of the time trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Richmond, Virginia and missed the podium. He finished 5th, 1:01 behind winner Vasil Kiryienka (Team Sky).

Now the Dutch rider is only focusing on next season. in 2016, he could be present at the start of the Tour de France, just before the Olympic time trial in Rio de Janeiro. "We have to discuss it, we have to make smart choices," team Giant coach Adriaan Helmantel explained according to VeloNews. "If you look at the past, then it’s perfectly feasible to combine [the Tour and Olympics] because Bradley Wiggins did it in 2012. He’s different, he was older and more experienced. We have to consider what’s possible if Tom does really well in the worlds, or not, after three weeks at a high level."

"I lost a little bit of muscles in my legs, and that could affect me in the time trial. But as we’ve seen in the past, with [Chris] Froome and also with [Bradley] Wiggins, it’s possible [to ride well], but I need to find the balance", Dumoulin added. “Now I know I can do a GC in a grand tour, and I didn’t know before. That’s quite a change," Dumoulin said Monday. "In my head, GC in a grand tour was never my final cycling goal. But now it’s realistic. I will definitely not be this rider that always goes for a GC in a tour when he’s starting, it could happen that next year I’m not going for any GC in the grand tours. Because next year the Olympics are my main goal, because the time trial, from what I’ve heard, is really hard there, and it should suit me really well. So for me, that’s more important than going for the GC in a grand tour."