Dumoulin sees Arensman lose minutes again in the opening stage of a grand tour and gives advice from the studio

Arensman had already experienced a poor opening weekend in the past, but it seemed they had found a solution. But when Lidl-Trek pushed hard in the final of the first Giro stage, Arensman fell behind early. After the finish, he did not want to comment, but in the Eurosport studio, Dumoulin had an opinion: "If you are a potential podium contender and you get dropped from a group of 50, that's just not good."

Last winter, the former rider spoke to Arensman in an impressive podcast for NOS. The two seem to get along well, so Dumoulin feels for him. "It's a real shame for him because he expected more from himself, especially after a very good Paris-Nice and Tour of the Alps. He was very confident at the start and had every right to be, but this is a disappointment."

Before the first stage of the Giro, Arensman spoke about 'the great conversations' he had had with Dumoulin 'about cycling and our careers.' After the NOS interview, Dumoulin even gave him his phone number in case Arensman ever had any questions. "He is someone I can learn a lot from and who also understands me well. I really understood what he went through in cycling, and he understood my struggles over the past few years. I can learn from what he experienced so I don't encounter the same problems."

"Very nice," Dumoulin said after the race about those comments. In the studio, however, one Dutchman jumped at the chance to talk to the other Dutchman. "He was hindering himself a bit, and I felt he really made a switch in how he approaches the sport this spring. I think that's great to see, and I hope he can win the Giro d'Italia someday. But after today, that will be difficult," he said.

When asked if Dumoulin had any advice for Arensman, he said: "Laurens ten Dam once said: you have to ride as hard as you can from A to B every day for 21 days, no matter what happens. Then we'll see. That's the advice I would give Thymen now: it sucks, you're disappointed, but tomorrow you go out there and give it your all again, and then after three weeks, you assess the situation. Will I call him? He has my number, but I don't want to impose myself on him. He can always call me if he needs me."