GESINK UPBEAT DESPITE MIXED FORTUNES IN VUELTA
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;setCaption(document.image_thumb); "Rabobank’s Koos Moerenhout is looking forward to riding his newest Giant TT bike in the UCI Road World Championships Time Trial. Photo by Cor Vos.")
;setCaption(document.image_extra_one_thumb); "Rabobank’s Lars Boom is also riding Giant in the UCI World TT Championship. Photo by Cor Vos.")
Fortune swung from one extreme to another for Robert Gesink in this year’s Vuelta a España, and when the dust finally settled, the Rabobank leader left Spain with a sixth place overall, one better than in 2008.
At the start of the final stage, Gesink was in relaxed mood, taking part in a long interview for a Dutch TV comedian before signing autographs for the huge numbers of children present in the warm Spanish sunshine.
The leg injury that had cost him a podium spot in the Tour of Spain is healing nicely; still, there is a huge scar just beneath one of his knees. And although he’s pleased with his result, as he said afterwards, it could have been worse. But without his bad crash on stage 17 it could have been better, too.
“I finished seventh in 2008 and sixth this year and that’s a step up,” he told Giant. “However, without the crash the step could have been bigger. I am in fairly good shape, and that’s something. I went deep in the time trial yesterday and that worked out O.K.”
“But I wanted to finish this race as much as a way to say thanks to my team-mates on Rabobank as to myself,” he continued. “I think the day I attacked [race winner Alejandro] Valverde on the Pandera [stage 14] was the day I was going the best. I went a little too early but I was pleased with my performance. Then on stage [12] to Velefique, where I finished third, I felt really good too.”
“What have I learned?” Gesink asked. Then, he answered. ”I’m satisfied with how I was riding overall, my climbing’s improved, and there are other things as well, minor stuff, which put all together should make a difference.”
“I think it’s shown what I can do on G.C., and it was nice to be able to do so well in a Grand Tour which started in Holland,” the 23-year old concluded. “We did really well at Rabobank, getting our stage win with Lars Boom as well as my overall performance. “
Next up is the World Championships, and Gesink flies straight to Italy from Spain without going home. “I’ll only be doing the road race, not the time trial, but I don’t want to go back to Holland between the two events because its better I stay in the warm weather. I’m not sure what my targets are there, because they say the World Championships are best prepared for by doing the Vuelta. But when you’ve gone all out throughout the race for the overall classification like I’ve done, that may not be the case. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next weekend.”