LottoNL-Jumbo have confirmed that Robert Gesink will miss the Tour de France as a result of the injuries he suffered in a crash at last week’s Tour de Suisse. The Dutch squad will be led by Wilco Kelderman, who finished 8th overall in Switzerland, while Ster ZLM Toer winner Sep Vanmarcke is among the riders chasing a stage victory.
“I’ve put a lot of energy into my preparations for the Tour de France and I felt strong [in training] on Tenerife. It’s a big disappointment that I have to miss the Tour because of this setback,” said Gesink, who suffered a head injury when he crashed on the opening road stage of the Tour de Suisse.
Gesink placed 6th overall at last year’s Tour and 4th in 2010, though he has endured a troubled relationship with the race throughout his career and had to abandon as a consequence of crashes in 2009 and 2012.
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Kelderman, who struggled on his Tour debut a year ago, will lead the line for LottoNL-Jumbo, though directeur sportif Nico Verhoeven insisted that Gesink’s absence will not alter the youngster’s ambitions for the race.
“The absence of Gesink doesn’t change the role Wilco Kelderman’s going to play,” Verhoeven said. “Wilco goes to the Tour de France in a free role. Now Gesink falls away, he holds the position we planned with him.”
Still eligible for the white jersey of best young rider, Kelderman highlighted his credentials over three weeks with a 7th place finish at the 2014 Giro d’Italia. He led the Tour de Suisse for a day before slipping back on the final weekend of racing. He hinted that he will target a stage win at the Tour rather than a high overall finish in Paris.
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