Tom Dumoulin praises Wout Poels for Tour de France win: "For years he has done for Chris Froome what Sepp Kuss is now doing for Jonas Vingegaard"

Tom Dumoulin, now an analyst for NOS, has congratulated compatriot Wout Poels on his maiden Tour de France win, in a Sunday that proved very difficult but a perfect terrain for the climbers.

"He was so often in a domestique role for a slightly better leader. For years he has done for Chris Froome what Sepp Kuss is now doing for Jonas Vingegaard. He was sometimes very close, but now at the age of 35 he still wins the best stage of his career," Dumoulin said, happy for Poels who pierced through the fatigue-burned peloton to show his best legs, showing how despite all these years he continues to have great sense of preparation and recovery capabilities. 

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Poels has not been attached to many GC responsibilities as Bahrain did not see Mikel Landa in his best level, whilst Pello Bilbao has not needed the assistance much throughout the mountain stages as the team does not have responsibilities to work. The Dutchman may change his approach now, but with his main goal achieved.

Dumoulin was also a critic of the very short broadcast given to the Dutchman as he crossed the line atop the final climb, a natural reaction taking into consideration how the race organizers were putting their focus on the battle between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.

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🏆 Impressive 🇳🇱 @WoutPoels wins in Saint-Gervais! 🏆 Impressionnant, 🇳🇱 @WoutPoels s’impose à Saint-Gervais ! #TDF2023

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