# is Dumoulin for real?



## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

a big guy who climbs with the top GC climbers all of a sudden, like it's no big deal. 
a huge jump in performance, based on his palmaries so far.
anyone else as surprised as I am? Or am I too cynical?


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## asgelle (Apr 21, 2003)

55x11 said:


> a big guy who climbs with the top GC climbers all of a sudden, like it's no big deal.


Except, of course, for all the times he couldn't keep up with the climbers on the big climbs. Stage 16, -27 sec; Stage 15, -51 sec.; Stage 14, -26 sec.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

except losing that amount of time to the winning climber is pretty much the definition of "keeping up" with the climbers, for all practical purposes, as far as a rider of Dimoulin's size is concerned. He should normally be expected to be losing 10+ minutes per stage, as all other riders of his size/skillset do, day after day.

Also don't forget passing Froome after being passed just before that. And he beat Quintana, Chavez, Valverde and many other climbing specialists on many stages, and he did it day after day after day.

Please don't tell me you knew Dimoulin could climb like this all along.

Imagine Cancellara or Martin or Phinney finishing 26 seconds behind Contador, Froome, Quintana on long, super-steep climbs. All of a sudden. The beating some of them the next day, then doing it again for 3 weeks. Never a bad day.

If tiny guys like Chavez or Rodriguez started finishing 25-30 seconds behind Martin or Cancellara in 40K+ time trials when most people lose 5min+ we would all be suspicious. 

Aru losing "only" 1:50 or so to Dimoulin in a time trial was shocking. SHOCKING! I thought he would lose 3-4min+.


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## asgelle (Apr 21, 2003)

If you want to say losing so much time is synonymous with keeping up easily I'd say you're straining the meaning of the language to a point where communication is very difficult.


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## spdntrxi (Jul 25, 2013)

he's not that big... just a little wide in the shoulders is all. You act like he weighs 180 or something. Big Mig was heavier.


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## deviousalex (Aug 18, 2010)

asgelle said:


> If you want to say losing so much time is synonymous with keeping up easily


Because 2 minutes in 74 hours of racing is "a lot of time"?


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## ghettocop (Apr 19, 2014)

Seems exceedingly unbelievable to me. Watching stage 18 right now, and watching him match the numerous attacks by Aru with seemingly no difficulty at all was almost comical. The power to weight would seem almost impossible. Maybe he is truly just super-strong and talented, but I have never seen a guy of his size hold the wheel from attack after attack by Aru Rodriguez, and Valverde?


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## spdntrxi (Jul 25, 2013)

Aru has so much wasted movement in his upper body.. Those attacks might not be a strong as they look.


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## captain stubbing (Mar 30, 2011)

some silly comments so far!

dumloin is not that big....same height as froome and weighs in at 70kgs to froome's 67.5.

cancellara and phinney are 80+ kgs for example.


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## mpre53 (Oct 25, 2011)

Proportionately for his height, he's no bigger than Hinault or LeMond. He's almost 30 pounds lighter than Mig. He only looks big next to walking skeletons like Froome or Wiggins.


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## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

mpre53 said:


> Proportionately for his height, he's no bigger than Hinault or LeMond. He's almost 30 pounds lighter than Mig. He only looks big next to walking skeletons like Froome or Wiggins.


Actually, based on the height and weight stats, he's pretty much the same size as Froome and Wiggo. We had a discussion about this in the Vuelta thread and I too am a little skeptical, but some of the guys have produced enough evidence that I'm at least willing to believe that he's simply following the path set forth by Froome and Wiggins.


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## BacDoc (Aug 1, 2011)

mpre53 said:


> Proportionately for his height, he's no bigger than Hinault or LeMond. He's almost 30 pounds lighter than Mig. He only looks big next to walking skeletons like Froome or Wiggins.


This.

Also many don't understand the benefits of doping. It doesn't give the marginal athlete the ability to perform at a level they could never achieve without it. It does help a highly talented well trained athlete to compete with other highly talented well trained athletes who dope.

Pros dope so they can train and ride as hard as all the other pros.

It is a fact that some "programs" are better than others though, but where is the rest of TD's team?


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

TricrossRich said:


> Actually, based on the height and weight stats, he's pretty much the same size as Froome and Wiggo. We had a discussion about this in the Vuelta thread and I too am a little skeptical, but some of the guys have produced enough evidence that I'm at least willing to believe that he's simply following the path set forth by Froome and Wiggins.


Would Demoulin be even faster if he got on the Wiggo and Froome Sky Diet? Maybe he could drop a few more kilos with marginal grains?


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)




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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

"If you are a skeptic, if you don't believe in cycling, I am sorry you can't dream big. I am sorry you don't believe in miracles."


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

"Is Dumoulin for real?"

Yes, clearly he is.

Pondering whether or not he's doping is a waste of time. There's doping in pro sports, always has been.


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## mpre53 (Oct 25, 2011)

Maybe he was for real after all.


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## Alaska Mike (Sep 28, 2008)

Because dopers never crack? Ask Floyd about that one.

He didn't have the team around him that Aru had, and they worked him over once they found the right strategy. Doesn't mean that he, or Astana, is clean or dirty, just that cracking or shows of strength are never proof of anything.

I wanted to see him go the distance, or at least finish on the podium. He rode a hell of a race.


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## mpre53 (Oct 25, 2011)

Alaska Mike said:


> Because dopers never crack? Ask Floyd about that one.
> 
> He didn't have the team around him that Aru had, and they worked him over once they found the right strategy. Doesn't mean that he, or Astana, is clean or dirty, just that cracking or shows of strength are never proof of anything.
> 
> I wanted to see him go the distance, or at least finish on the podium. He rode a hell of a race.


That's why there was a "maybe" there. :wink:


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## thighmaster (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm past cynical, he's a pro, therefore a doper. Everyone at some time of season or prep, is part of something banned or soon to be banned


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