Tom Dumoulin reveals the real reason for his Giro d’Italia toilet emergency

Updated 16/04/2018 at 13:47 GMT

Tom Dumoulin’s emergency toilet stop during stage 16 of last year’s Giro d’Italia became one of the most notable moments of the race.

0521 ITW Tom Dumoulin

Image credit: Eurosport

But the Dutchman, who of course went on to top the General Classification, has discovered the real reason for his discomfort after undergoing extensive medical tests.

Leader Dumoulin stops for toilet break on side of road

In an open interview with NOS, Dumoulin explained:

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A number of food groups, such as fructose and lactose, are not very digestible for some people, and some us have a little more trouble with them than others. If you are already at the limit in your digestive system and you just eat a piece of food at the wrong time, such as during the Giro, it can come through pretty quickly.

Dumoulin, who at the time blamed his pitstop on too many energy bars, continued:

On a day where you eat a lot of calories you can eat a lot of lactose and fructose products. In an apple, for example, there is a lot of fructose, so I am better off eating a kiwi. Or milk, for example, that is a lot of lactose in. Well, then I better have lactose-free milk or no milk at all.

Dumoulin is set to defend his Giro title in 2018, with Chris Froome among the big names in the peloton. The race gets underway on Friday 4 May.