Argos-Shimano Sports Director Rudi Kemna was content after the individual time trial Wednesday at the Tour de France.

“Tom is our time trial specialist, and before the start we knew that we would have the best chance of a strong result with him. That he came in ninth is very impressive when you consider that this is his first Tour. Starting yesterday he was very focused, and it was a goal for him to get a good result in the time trial. So, we prepared very well today. During the race he stayed focused and relaxed and he didn’t make any big mistakes. I am really satisfied with his performance, as he rode a strong race.”

“My legs were very good today. Throughout the whole race it went well, and I felt that I had power,” was how Dumoulin saw the events of the day. “Unfortunately, I needed to brake in the final metres, as there were some cars on the circuit, which cost me time, but of course I am still very satisfied with my time trial. I am proud to get such a result in this field. It’s a good sign that I can do a time trial like that after 10 days. I still have the good form I started the Tour with and hopefully I can continue to improve. It’s also great to be part of this team. Being successful is very motivating, and it proves that we prepared well as a team.”