Tom Dumoulin and his Jumbo-Visma team have ruled out an early lead in the Tour de France in case the race is interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and a winner is declared.

Race organizers and the UCI have yet to officially announce whether a winner will be declared if the race is interrupted for a specific number of stages due to the global pandemic, but Jumbo-Visma lines up as team leader with Primosz Roglic (open in new tab) Dumoulin has stated that if the race is suspended after 10 days, the declared winner will not be the "true winner."

"I don't have a strategic plan if the race is suspended in a week and a half," Dumoulin said at the Jumbo-Visma pre-Tour press conference in Nice on Thursday. The winner a week and a half from now is not the real winner of the Tour de France." It's not the Tour de France, it's a 10-day race. It's a different race. It's completely different. We are preparing for the Grand Tour and we want to win the Tour de France."

The Tour starts Saturday in Nice, but with new COVID-19 cases continuing to appear across France and the number of domestic cases on the rise, race organizers and the Tour de France team are implementing strict protocols to ensure the race continues. teams are hoping that this attitude will be relaxed before the race begins.

"At the moment the numbers around Nice and France don't look good, but at the moment we are just in our own bubble and we just want to get back to racing," Dumoulin said.

"For the fans there are many ramifications. Especially as Dutch fans, we don't like to come and watch the races. It's not the summer Tour de France we're used to, but as a rider I'm happy to be back racing. I intend to make the most of it."

Jumbo-Visma lost Steven Kruijswijk in a crash at the Criterium du Dauphiné, but has lined up one of the strongest teams in the race with Dumoulin and Primos Roglic as candidates for the yellow jersey.

Roglic is said to have overcome injuries sustained in the Dauphiné, and Dumoulin is getting stronger with each passing day. Nevertheless, the 2017 Giro d'Italia winner believes that this year's Tour will be more than just a battle between Jumbo and Team Ineos.

"It will not be a battle between Jumbo Visma and Ineos. It will be a battle of many riders. At least 20 riders will be on the start line hoping to win or be on the podium. We have to make sure we are the best among them," Dumoulin said. [We are happy with the results of the Tour de Ain and the Dauphiné. I think we needed to get back into a rhythm. Now we are on the start line of the Tour de France.

"Of course, it's not exactly the same. We lost Steven here. He would have been one of our best guys. We will miss him and we need to change our tactics. We will both be aiming to get closer to the podium in the final week.

As for Roglic, he suffered an accident in the Dauphiné that put his participation in the Tour in doubt, but he is happy that he is healthy.

He crashed while leading the race on the final stage and did not race on the final day, just in case. Rumors swirled for days surrounding his fitness, but the 2019 Vuetra winner believes he is ready.

The pre-race winner did not mention his main rival, but acknowledged that Dumoulin is in peak condition and said the team will focus on themselves rather than their competitors.

"Me being here and being at the start. It's really good news and I'm happy to be here. I'm ready. I will start on Saturday, so I just have to do my best.

"Everyone starts in the same position on Saturday, so everyone has a chance to win. As far as Tom is concerned, I think he has taken a big step forward and he is ready to give his best here. It's great to have such a strong player on our team.

"We need to focus on ourselves. I think we need to do our best individually and as a team. I don't think too much about the other riders."

"Going into the race, the plan has definitely changed. We didn't plan on such a complicated start, but there was a crash and it took quite a while to restart and be able to do what I wanted to do.