Now 31 years old, Robert Gesink is closer to the end of his career than the start, but the LottoNL-Jumbo rider is finding new forms of motivation. With the 2018 season underway, he has outlined his race programme for the season with a mix of stage races and one-day ambitions.
Once a GC prospect for Grand Tours, Gesink will once again set his overall ambitions to one side as he embarks on stage hunting at both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France. He will help support LottoNL's overall ambitions in both races, while also targeting a number of one-day races for himself. It's a similar programme to the one he had in 2017, but after last year's campaign was cut short due to injury, he's back for more.
"Well, every year I make a programme but I don't keep it because I do stupid crashes but this year I go to the Giro and Tour," Gesink recently told Cyclingnews.
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"I'd like to win more and for me, that's stages at those races. I think it's a good idea to ride both races, but not for GC. I think it's going to work out."
Gesink has claimed top-ten positions in Grand Tours on five occasions, with fourth in the 2010 Tour de France arguably his best result. That said, the podium is possibly out of range unless the three weeks go perfectly, and with new riders coming through each year the challenge only gets harder. So instead of focusing on just one three-week aim per season, Gesink is planning to spread his form throughout the year. As a winner of a Vuelta stage and both Canadian WorldTour races in the past, it's perhaps the most sensible game plan.
"I'm not saying that the GC is behind me forever but first I want to try and do this. I know more or less what my position is for GC. If nothing bad happens then I can be top-ten in Grand Tours but I don't see myself as a podium because I'm 73kg and these days there are so many little guys who can climb and have a good time trial," Gesink said. "It's even more about watts-per-kilogram these days, but I'm 31 now and I have a few more years left but I want to see how this plan goes. I'm really motivated."
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
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