Last year Thomas Dekker won a mountain stage in the Tour de Suisse but this year the Dutch talent of the Rabobank team didn’t feel well in the Swiss stage race. The 23 year old said he suffered from
a cold after he trained in the Alpes.
Dekker told sportwereld.nl: „I rode one day with bad weather conditions
and after that I became ill. Fever, flu. From the ten days before the Tour de Suisse I sat three days on the sddle. That explains
why I am behind [schedule, editor] now. I have a bit of fever again which shows that my immune system surely is not ideal,”
said Dekker before Friday’s seventh stage of the Tour de Suisse.
Earlier this week Dekker told reporters several times that he needs the racing kilometres of the Tour de Suisse but
after yesterday’s seventh stage Dekker decided not to start at today’s stage 8. Rabobank’s team management
stated that Dekker needs rest.
Rabobank sports director Erik Breuking said the team management will talk with Dekker after the Tour de Suisse. Breukink
said that Dekker’s participation in this years Tour de France will be point of serious discussions. Breukink told sportwereld.nl:
“If he has doubts, we will have some as well. “Its a similar situation like two years ago. At that time Thomas
was riding the Dauphiné Libéré and it didn’t went well. The National Tmie Trial Championships showed that it was impossible
to go to France for Thomas. What the outcome will be this time? I think we will know in
a few days.”
On Friday morning Dekker didn’t know how things will develop. The winner of the 2007 Tour de Romandie said he
feels better every day but that it didn’t bring him better results yet. Dekker thinks that with enough rest and good
trining he will improve in the coming two weeks. This years Tour de France ds not have a prologue and the mountains will come
after the first week, “so I have also a few days in the Tour to get into shape,” Dekker said.
Dekker denied that the current situation is similar to the situation two years ago. “At that time I wasn’t
able to race, now I am hindered because my basis [condition, editor] is not big enough. That’s the difference.”
Next week Dekker will not only speak about his form with the team management.
“Is it good for them to select me for the Tour? I am worried about my ambition for the overall, it will be pretty difficult
to have a top condition in two weeks time. I am always aspiring towards the best, it is difficult to play a minor role. I
am being watched. That’s no problem, I created that myself and I am being paid for that but in this case its a bit inconvenient.
But believe me I refuse to accept that I won’t ride the Tour. I will do everything I can to take part.”
