Presenting a splendid disposition throughout last several weeks, Tom Dumoulin is just another Dutchman hoping to excel in the sole one-day event held on his home soil. As the 23-year old Giant-Shimano rider definitely stepped up to a higher level this season, he aims to overcome a bad luck to eventually prove his quality at the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday.

Sunday will mark Dumoulin’s third participation in the season’s first Ardennes classic, but so far the 23-year old Dutchman couldn’t prove his quality as a promising one-day racer in front of his home crowds, mainly due to a bad luck.

“In the first year I wasn’t super fit, while in the second I hit the deck at the Circuit de la Sarthe and suffered a knee injury as a result,” Dumoulin wrote on his website.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to prove that these events suit me down to the ground yet. Anyway, if I don’t get sick or get involved in other kind of crazy situation this year, I will line up at the start in a good shape.”

Recognized mainly as a talented time trialist, in-form Dutchman certainly stepped up to a higher level and significantly improved his climbing skills this season. He is aware, however, that despite a fierce battle for a position from the very first kilometers of the Amstel twisted parcours, he would need to save all his energy for the finale in order to achieve the top ten result.

“My goal for the coming Sunday is primarily to enter the finale as fresh as possible. That requires staying focused and well positioned in all key moments through the entire race. That’s a challenge itself. Then we will see how much there is left in the tank and if I can fight for a top ten spot,” Dumoulin concluded.