Tom Dumoulin accuses TV motorbike of helping Primoz Roglic to victory on stage 19 of Tour de France
Dumoulin concedes 19 seconds to Slovenian rival
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter


Tom Dumoulin (Team Sunweb) was fuming after the finish to Laruns at the 2018 Tour de France, saying that Primoz Roglic (LottoNL-Jumbo) received a draft from a television motorbike to help him escape on the final descent from the Col d'Aubisque.
Roglic won the stage 19 by 19 seconds and also took the 10-second time bonus. It was enough time for him to leapfrog Chris Froome (Team Sky) for third place and also move within 19 seconds of Dumoulin in second overall with only two days to race.
"Primoz was the strongest today and I have a lot of respect for his victory," Dumoulin said. "He was flying downhill and eventually I got dropped on a straight part just because he was on his top tube and full in the slipstream of the motorbike.
"I was sprinting to his wheel and I could not get closer and I just got dropped on the only straight part of the downhill. It's ridiculous.
"I'm not happy, of course not. I'm f**king disappointed."
Dumoulin said he would not protest the incident, saying "it makes no sense anyway."
Roglic attacked multiple times on the final Aubisque climb and then put the pressure on his rivals on the 20km descent, but didn't think he had been in the slipstream of the TV motorbike on the descent.
>>> Five talking points from stage 19 of the Tour de France
"I don't think so, so it's hard to comment," the Slovenian stage winner said. "We all have the same opportunity to be on the front on the descents. I didn't notice anything unusual."
Dumoulin chased for much of the descent with Thomas on his wheel for fear of losing his second place overall.
"No. I wasn't, it was up to me. That's it," Dumoulin said when asked if he had help in the chase. "Froome helped a bit, but that's it."
He became the first Dutchman to win the Giro d'Italia in 2017, before finishing second behind Froome this May. He holds second place in the Tour de France, but risks losing it in the 31km time trial to Espelette tomorrow. Dumoulin is a world champion in the discipline, but Roglic is known for his time trialling too.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.
-
-
Tech of the Month August: Magnesium bikes, wheels and pedals; new Vittoria tyres and Enve's Melee road bike
Are magnesium alloys really the wonder material they're cracked up to be?
By Stefan Abram • Published
-
Commonwealth Games 2022: Aaron Gate wins the men's road race for New Zealand in a dramatic sprint finish
New Zealander lands a fourth gold medal at the games after beating Daryl Impey of South Africa
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
'Cycling required my blood, sweat and tears at times, but mostly it was beautiful' — Tom Dumoulin to retire at end of 2022 season
Tom Dumoulin has announced that he will retire this year, and take a take "new and unknown path" from next year
By Adam Becket • Published
-
'I’ve struggled with having a whole crew revolve around me in the past': Tom Dumoulin happy to share Jumbo-Visma's Giro d'Italia leadership
The Dutchman makes his return to the race he won in 2017
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published
-
Tom Dumoulin confirms he will ride for the overall at a Grand Tour in 2022
The former time trial world champion hasn't had a serious go at a Grand Tour since the 2018 Tour de France
By Tim Bonville-Ginn • Published
-
Tom Dumoulin doesn't rule out Grand Tour return in 2022
Dutchman will decide on his season at the Jumbo-Visma training camp in mid-December
By Ryan Dabbs • Published
-
Tom Dumoulin to Team BikeExchange for 2022?
L'Equipe reports Giant bikes could be instrumental in taking Dutch star from Jumbo-Visma
By Richard Windsor • Published
-
Tom Dumoulin still plans to continue cycling career next year
The Dutch star was knocked from his bike by a driver, which spoiled his World Championship ambitions
By Alex Ballinger • Published
-
'It was a difficult road to get here': Tom Dumoulin marks return to cycling with Olympics silver
'He took a deep dive and chose Tokyo as a trigger to push that career forward'
By Jonny Long • Published
-