"I think the Tour organizers are clearly keen to find some way to keep the dominance of UAE and Pogacar in check" - Tom Dumoulin on 2027 Tour de France route
Cycling
The plentiful amount of time trial kilometers at the 2027 Tour de France might be a major lure for Remco Evenepoel, and a control method for Tadej Pogacar, according to former podium finisher Tom Dumoulin.
"I personally think it’s great that they’re starting in Great Britain. I started there myself back in 2014. It was absolutely brilliant—an incredible experience. So, it’s wonderful that they’re heading back there," Dumoulin said in words to NOS.
The three opening days of the race will take place before the race moves south towards France, where they will find a flat 38-kilometer long time trial before the race reaches the mountains.
"But, of course, that was already known. What hadn’t been revealed yet was that this Tour includes a massive number of time-trial kilometers. That is, without a doubt, the most striking feature of this route—especially considering the trend we’ve seen in recent years, where Grand Tour courses have featured very few time-trial kilometers," Dumoulin adds.
The Dutchman is a former time trial World Champion but raced the Tour in a phase where the time trials had lost significance. In the past, it was not unusual for the Tour to feature over 100 kilometers of individual time trialing.
The last time that's happened was in 2012, only two years before Dumoulin's debut. In 2018 when Dumoulin finished second at the Tour there was a 35-kilometer long team time trial; and one with 31 kilometers in length on stage 20.
The 2023 edition featured only one mountainous time trial, won by Jonas Vingegaard - the rider whom, amongst the big GC men in 2026, appears to be less favoured by this route choice.
Tom Dumoulin is certain that the 2027 Tour de France favours Remco Evenepoel
71 kilometers of time trialing at 2027 Tour de France
In a comeback to the past, the 2027 route will feature plenty flat sprint stages and two mostly flat time trials, featuring a combined 71 kilometers against the clock. This major development certainly goes on to benefit the absolute specialists in the discipline.
"Now, they’ve completely changed course, with roughly 70 kilometers of individual time trials in total. That certainly gets my heart racing—and I imagine it does the same for Remco Evenepoel," Dumoulin argues.
"In the last Tour, the outcome was effectively decided quite early on. I think the Tour organizers are clearly keen to find some way to keep the dominance of UAE and Pogacar in check".
Read also
Dumoulin has no doubt that the route was designed taking into consideration Tadej Pogacar's specialties, and where he hasn't been able to make the difference in the past. This year, Remco Evenepoel and Paul Seixas' performances in the TT's was above or similar to that of the Slovenian.
"By designing a route that keeps things competitive until quite late in the Tour. The only way to beat Pogacar is through time trial kilometers".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 3visitors 3
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Mathieu and Wout!!! You must start in CX this winter! (hope you reading comments here...) ;-)averagecyclist12-11-2026
- Who made you site boss?Lozza12-11-2026
- This shows so well you’ve never ventured out to a cycling event and checked out spectators.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- I preferred the one about amateur riders and passing (perhaps to explain why he can’t ride at 220 which would probably be more effective to return to shape).Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Not just ManU, far worse in some minority sports ventures.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- From your writing it sounds like you’ve been sharing your views with people here for quite a while, quite presumouptuous for a new profile.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Which is amazing given his weight and size, though, unlike in boxing and some rare instances we haven’t a clue what his fighting weight was. Anybody know why these “public” figures floated around are considered as being accurate?Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- That’s a first point, everyone can have an off year or just stagnate before a new upward cycle. What would have been more interesting is including Skjelmose’s performance into the discussion, things have also been expected from him after several performances in the past but he hasn’t really progressed either, his TdF was basically what you would have expected but he’s 26 and been kind of stuck at this level for at least 2-3 years. Maybe he’s a late developer or maybe he needs something to change but as manager I’d be just as demanding and worried about both. Perhaps the recruitment concept was to have enough talent so at least one every year would be in shape and they’ve just been unlucky. Don’t want to rub it in but you could even say Mads lost a notch, so is it the riders or is it more to do with the team?Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was also going to say that young pretty women are obsessed Pogi fan girls... who are chasing him. All glossy "____" (blank) about Tadej. PS: You can all fill in the "blank" yourselves, whatever you prefer. The definition of glossy is: It looks unusually shiny, glazed over, watery, or vacant/unfocused.PogiSloFans12-11-2026
- Are you able to discuss ANYTHING without making a reference back to your Special 1? It’s almost as if you’re paid by his marketing team to improve his ranking in search results.Jumpyjohn12-11-2026
Loading
10 Comments