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What was behind Rohan Dennis’s “reluctant” withdrawal from the Tour de France?

Stage 13 time trial favourite pulls out amid suggestions of dissatisfaction with time trial setup

One of the most striking stories from yesterday’s live blog was Rohan Dennis’s disappearance from the Tour de France. For a time, even his team didn’t know where he’d gone.

The Guardian reports that the world time trial champion climbed off at the feed zone, 80km into stage 12. Bahrain-Merida sports director Gorazd Stangelj ran back to speak to him, but he wouldn’t talk.

Then he vanished.

Midway through the stage, the team put out a statement, saying: “Our priority is the welfare of all our riders so will launch an immediate investigation but will not be commenting further until we have established what has happened to Rohan Dennis. Meantime we continue to support our riders who are mid-race.”

- Rohan Dennis's Merida Time Warp TT - The time trial bike you're not going to see at the Tour de France today

After Dennis turned up at the team bus a couple of hours later, a second statement said that he had “reluctantly” made the decision to leave the race.

Dennis was quoted as saying: “Obviously the individual time trial tomorrow had been a big goal for me and the team, but given my current feeling it was the right decision to withdraw earlier today.

“I wish my teammates the very best for the remainder of the race and would like to thank all the Tour de France fans who cheered for me, at home and on the roadside, since Brussels. I will hopefully be back competing in this great race again over the coming seasons.”

Conspicuous by its absence was any kind of explanation as to why he’d quit.

Speaking at the finish, Stangelj said he was “confused” and “disappointed” at Dennis’s decision and emphasised that it was not precipitated by any kind of physical issue.

“We actually expected a big effort from him tomorrow,” he said. “It was his decision today to stop in the feed zone. We tried to speak with him. He said, ‘I don’t want to talk’ and just abandoned the race.

“His condition is not bad. He’s good enough to perform at the Tour de France. For sure it has nothing to do with his condition.”

While stating that he, “didn’t have any problem with him this season,” Stangelj added, perhaps more pertinently: “He is a special guy. Let’s say all the champions are. He is really 100 per cent when he wants something and it’s difficult to make everyone 100 per cent happy at the same moment.”

He also said that he’d deliberately kept Dennis from doing team work ahead of today’s time trial, for which he was the favourite.

So what was the problem?

Well, there have been suggestions that Dennis has been dissatisfied with his time trial bike all season. Here’s a close look at the bike. (As my colleague Dave Arthur points out, he won the time trial win at the Tour de Suisse on it, so it can’t be too shabby.)

Nevertheless, reports from the Tour seem to suggest that some aspect of Dennis’s time trial setup was an issue.

The Australian has previously said that when frustrations mount, he tries to take a deep breath and count to ten, "and if that doesn’t work, I count to 100.”

On this occasion, perhaps he should have aimed for four figures.

"I have been known to have a short fuse," he told CBS in 2015.

“I’m a little bit OCD. I like perfection with everything and when things don’t line up when they should or I think they should, it gets on my nerves a little bit," he said.

“I’ve always liked things in order. So when something really simple hasn’t been done, or something isn’t organised, and I’ve asked for it to be organised ... it’s something that can set me off a bit."

Perhaps being the favourite for today's time trial increased ramped up the tension further.

“Little things crack me a little bit easier,” he said. “And I’m on edge because I’m worried about my own performance and I’m not backing myself, I’m not confident in my own ability to actually perform at the race.”

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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13 comments

Avatar
Pilot Pete | 4 years ago
0 likes

 

Avatar
Boatsie | 4 years ago
0 likes

I'm a Dennis yet I haven't the blood line. Deaken grandpa Dennis had a severe heart attack and past away: It was the night of the rare super size blood moon; February 2019. One of my best friends is known as 'the devil. ' His men are strong yet with a noncompetitive form.
Don't worry too much, let the manufacturers organize the recycling of their products , let royalties that you know such as presidents, royal families help coordinate that..
Ride hard bro.. Loving life too. Cycling helps cycle things aye..
My explanations are dumb.. We all just an equal

Avatar
Boatsie | 4 years ago
0 likes

He might be taunt. A strong athlete is a strong mental health..
He is an elite athlete.

Avatar
sammutd88 | 4 years ago
3 likes

If my money was being put into the team, I'd be demanding an immediate sacking from the team due breach of contract, and be making sure every other team knew that this was effectively an immature, selfish dummy spit from a dramam queen who does not deserve the privilege of what I'm sure is a 7 figure salary and the opportunity to ride in the most famous Grand Tour there is.

Make it clear, his job was to support the team and Vincenzo Nibali until such time that team management decide otherwise. 

If he considers himself a professional athlete, act professionally. I'm ashamed as an Australian to have Dennis associated with our country in this instance. What a poor decision.

Avatar
longassballs | 4 years ago
4 likes

It's all pure speculation until Rohan opens his mouth, if he does, at least. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until then

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VeloAsia replied to longassballs | 4 years ago
0 likes
longassballs wrote:

It's all pure speculation until Rohan opens his mouth, if he does, at least. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt until then

 

Mrs. Dennis (holding their toddler on her hip): "You back to the press and tell them whatever you need to get a contract next year."

Avatar
Judge dreadful | 4 years ago
1 like

He’s a precious little madam. This isn’t the first time he’s spat the dummy. Give him a hard slap, he’ll be right.

Avatar
Simon E replied to Judge dreadful | 4 years ago
4 likes
Judge dreadful wrote:

He’s a precious little madam. This isn’t the first time he’s spat the dummy. Give him a hard slap, he’ll be right.

It's far easier to hurl insults than try to understand what someone might be going through.

In the end the biggest 'loser' is Dennis himself so, although the team, sponsors, fans and others may feel let down, it is the man at the centre of it who has taken by far the biggest blow.

I hope you never get the same treatment if you have a similar experience. I hope you never have kids either, they don't deserve a parent with that attitude. Truly awful.

 

Avatar
TriggersBroom | 4 years ago
5 likes

Well he's bolloxed when he re-enters the real world then and everythings not quite right.

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srchar | 4 years ago
8 likes

OCD that's severe enough to cause a professional athlete to quit an event the day before their chance to shine is a mental health issue. I hope the team support him with the help he needs.

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Blackthorne replied to srchar | 4 years ago
0 likes
srchar wrote:

OCD that's severe enough to cause a professional athlete to quit an event the day before their chance to shine is a mental health issue. I hope the team support him with the help he needs.

if his past comments about having a “short fuse” is any indication it appears he got over emotional and blew his chances at competing. It’s one thing to complain about a sponsor forcing you to ride single chainring like the 3T team a few years back, but to quit over bike setup when there’s clearly a lot done to cater to his discerning needs seems—a bit much. 

Avatar
sammutd88 replied to srchar | 4 years ago
2 likes
srchar wrote:

OCD that's severe enough to cause a professional athlete to quit an event the day before their chance to shine is a mental health issue. I hope the team support him with the help he needs.

 

I'm the first to support people with mental health issues, but don't bring it into everything. He's had a dummy spit because he's not happy with something that was decided by the team, whom with he has signed a contract with. Acceptance of this behaviour breeds more childish behaviour.

Avatar
Xenophon2 replied to srchar | 4 years ago
3 likes
srchar wrote:

OCD that's severe enough to cause a professional athlete to quit an event the day before their chance to shine is a mental health issue. I hope the team support him with the help he needs.

 

I'm all for people with mental health issues getting whatever help they need.  But if mental health issues are what's at play here then he should consider a different job.  Perhaps 6 months in a factory would do wonders to focus the mind on what's essential and what's accessory.  A cycling team isn't a sanatorium and while prima-donnaism is acceptable in a champion -to a point- first the performance needs to be there.  He let down all of his coleagues who busted their a** so that the little princess would be able to shine on the big day.  Were I the sponsor, he'd never ride for me again.

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