Robert Gesink had a Tour de France that he’d likely rather forget, starting as one of the big favourites but then being injured and losing chunks of time as a result of crashes in the opening stages. The 25 year old Dutchman dropped out of contention and although he rode better on some of the later mountain stages, ended the race 33rd overall in Paris. He was over an hour behind the winner Cadel Evans.
“It was difficult,” he told VeloNation in a video interview prior to the final stage. “The Tour itself is difficult enough, I think it is already really difficult to do a good Tour under these circumstances, with the bad weather and tough stages. Then the crash on top of that made it really difficult for me to get a good level again.”
Gesink finished sixth last year, and was also sixth in the 2009 Vuelta a España. Performances such as his overall victory in the Tour of Oman meant that he was seen as a stronger, more rounded rider than before, and indications were that he was on track for a big July. His injuries and the resulting strain on his body put paid to those hopes, though, and he was left looking for a way to salvage the situation and do something to bounce back.
“We hoped that at the end of the Tour in the Alps I could make a surprise,” he said. “I tried really hard on the way to the Galibier, but I didn’t find the legs I had last year, basically because of the crash. For me it was a disappointing Tour, but I will be back next year and I am sure I can do a good GC like I did last year. At this moment I am happy to be almost in Paris – it’s done for this year.”
Like Tour runner-up Andy Schleck, he confirms that he will ride the Tour of Colorado. He’ll return to the Canadian WorldTour events, with taking another win in the GP Cycliste de Montreal a likely goal, then he’ll keep building towards the Italian end of season events, including the Tour of Lombardy.
Last season he won the Giro dell’Emilia, one of the big warm-up races for Lombardia. He missed the Classic itself due to the unexpected death of his father in a mountainbiking accident.