Tom Dumoulin pulls out of first race of the season

Tom Dumoulin has been forced to pull out of his first race of the year, the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana.

The Dutch star was set to make his debut in Jumbo-Visma colours in Spain this week, after a highly anticipated move from Sunweb.

But after a season he would rather forget last year, Dumoulin has now been forced to delay the start of his 2020 due to illness.

In a statement on Instagram, Dumoulin said he fell ill over night and will return home to the Netherlands.

The 2020 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana still has a stacked roster - view the full start list here. 

He said: “The guys have just left for a training ride here in Valencia. Unfortunately, without me.

“I got sick last night and I will return to home to recover.

“This is now the way I wanted to start the season, but we have to be wise.

“When you don’t feel well, you’d better not race. I came to Spain to build up my condition, not to break it down.

“I hope to be back soon.”

Dumoulin, the winner of the 2017 Giro d’Italia, had a rough 2019, suffering a nasty knee injury in the opening week of the Giro and being forced to abandon his plans for the year.

After a brief return at the Critérium du Dauphiné, the 29-year-old has been absent from the peloton to give himself a chance to recover.

During his rehabilitation, Dumoulin also made the major change by leaving Sunweb after seven years, joining the new Grand Tour power team Jumbo-Visma.

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Dumoulin will target the Tour de France alongside 2019 Vuelta a España winner Primož Roglič and compatriot Stephen Kruijswijk this season.

The next race Dumoulin is expected to race is Tirreno-Adriatico in March.