Gesink Discussion Thread

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Gesink himself about today and the Vuelta in general:

Robert Gesink voelde zich opnieuw prima. "Ik voel me nu goed. Ik verlies iets op Talansky. Maar ik zat mooi van voren. Aan de andere kant pak ik wat op Moreno en Froome. Pak toch tijd op mannen die voor me staan. Het geeft wel weer hoe de krachtverhoudingen nu aan het einde van de ronde liggen. Ik had gewoon een hele goede dag. Gevochten als een beer, maar dat is onderdeel van mijn job. De laatste twee dagen was ik super. De dag daarvoor was het wat minder, maar dat was heel snel verklaarbaar. Zo'n glooiende rit ligt mij nu nog wat minder. Ze reden vandaag de hele dag een akelig tempo. Op dat soort momenten merk ik, dat ik toch nog wat kracht en macht tekort kom. Wanneer ik later beelden van mezelf zie met dat pielverzetje, dan denk ik ook 'Man schakel toch bij'. Maar we weten allemaal waar ik vandaan kom. Waar ik nu sta, is heel goed vind ik. De laatste puntjes hoop ik deze winter te gaan zetten, zodat ik in 2013 weer een normaal seizoen kan draaien."


Slotklim eigenlijk te zwaar
Zowel Gesink als Laurens ten Dam vond de slotbeklimming teveel van het goede. Gesink: "Die laatste klim is wel een rotbeklimming. De Angliru is ook heel steil, maar toch gelijkmatiger. Die laatste drie kilometer waren afschuwelijk. Dat was steiler dan de Angliru. Je viel bijna achterstevoren van je fiets af." Van Laurens ten Dam had het niet gehoeven. “Het is misschien geweldig voor de toeschouwers maar niet voor de klimmers. Toen ik naar beneden ging, zag ik nog mannen omhoog komen. Dat was ongelooflijk om te zien, het was zo vreselijk steil. Ik reed voor het eerst in mijn leven met een compact. Aan het einde had je het wel nodig. Dit was niet meer leuk. Het deed alleen maar pijn. Nu heb ik wel een goed gevoel. Ik zat in de paincave’. Het was verschrikkelijk."

He says "When they ride a hard tempo like today. I notice I still lack real power. When I later see images of myself on a small gear I think "Man, turn a bigger gear". But we all know where I'm coming from. For the moment this is very good. In the winter I hope to set the final steps so I can ride a normal level again in 2013"

Basically confirms what most sane people here thought. Doesn't have the strength yet from before the broken leg and has most difficulty when the paces has been really high the whole day. Lacks power and stamina. Final step for next season...

 

[Bobby G]

When I later see images of myself on a small gear I think "Man, turn a bigger gear".

Exactly what I thought today watching him dangle at the back of the Peloton today. But to be fair, I also thought to myself he's at a good level. Realistically he was 8th best up a hell of a climb today in a pretty decent field. That's not where he'd like to be, but it's a great starting place to be building on over the winter. Stand back, have some perspective and you'll realise, Gesink isn't done yet.

Next year is still a massive year for him and he's got a lot of hard work ahead of him, but I think he's got the foundations to get back to where he wants to be.

 

[rzombie1988]

Anton Gesink.

For those that don't know, he was a pro-wrestler and Olympic Judoka.

 

[movingtarget]

Gesink himself about today and the Vuelta in general:



He says "When they ride a hard tempo like today. I notice I still lack real power. When I later see images of myself on a small gear I think "Man, turn a bigger gear". But we all know where I'm coming from. For the moment this is very good. In the winter I hope to set the final steps so I can ride a normal level again in 2013"

Basically confirms what most sane people here thought. Doesn't have the strength yet from before the broken leg and has most difficulty when the paces has been really high the whole day. Lacks power and stamina. Final step for next season...

I think he is being realistic. This result will be very good for him in the long run. I hope he can get back to the higher level as before.

 

[Kwibus]

For those that don't know, he was a pro-wrestler and Olympic Judoka.

Atleast add that he was the first non-Japanese to win a gold medal at the Olympics with Judo.... Best part was that it was in Tokyo as well.
Off-topic though

 

[Kwibus]

Wasn't Gesink riding that small gear the last 2 years as well?

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Wasn't Gesink riding that small gear the last 2 years as well?

Yeah......

 

[theyoungest]

Yeah, I assume he doesn't know what gear he normally rides

 

[theyoungest]

Wasn't Gesink riding that small gear the last 2 years as well?

There's small gears and small gears, of course. I assume he knows himself what gear he normally rides.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Gesink himself about today and the Vuelta in general:



He says "When they ride a hard tempo like today. I notice I still lack real power. When I later see images of myself on a small gear I think "Man, turn a bigger gear". But we all know where I'm coming from. For the moment this is very good. In the winter I hope to set the final steps so I can ride a normal level again in 2013"

Basically confirms what most sane people here thought. Doesn't have the strength yet from before the broken leg and has most difficulty when the paces has been really high the whole day. Lacks power and stamina. Final step for next season...

Yeah but 18-valv piti says this is bs, oh what to believe. Asif gesink hasn't fully recovered yet

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

lol what a crybaby gesink is. last year he said he's be back by this years tour, now it's the vuelta and he's still not anywhere close. it's very clear to me that he will either never recover from his broken leg, as I said numerous times before, or that his work on his itt ha seriously decreased his climbing abilities

 

[theyoungest]

Ryo: "see, I told you so, it's exactly how I said it was... or it's something else."

Ooookay.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Yeah but 18-valv piti says this is bs, oh what to believe. Asif gesink hasn't fully recovered yet

I suppose he will TT like Big Mig when his climbing abilities are at his '09 level again. Baby steps, huh?

 

[sartoris]

Although I quite like him as a rider, I expected a lot more of him in the Vuelta after his great Tour of California. I don't know what's happening with all the young generation of great Dutch cyclists who don't seem to be able to really make it.

 

[theyoungest]

Simple: the Tour of California doesn't mean anything with regards to racing in Europe.

This generation of Dutch cyclists who don't make it has produced 4 top-10 placings in GTs in the last 2 years, that's not too bad.

 

[webvan]

Simple: the Tour of California doesn't mean anything with regards to racing.

And on Baldy he looked like he did yesterday, nearly stopped, and it wasn't exacty as steep....

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

@ piti your ignorance is hilarious, tting is not indicative of all round cycling. I'm not saying hell ever be a good climber again but to dismiss the broken leg and expect full recovery by now, regardless of tt results is pure idiocy.

Although I quite like him as a rider, I expected a lot more of him in the Vuelta after his great Tour of California. I don't know what's happening with all the young generation of great Dutch cyclists who don't seem to be able to really make it.

His toc win was blown out of proportion , that was not a great field and it does not translate to gt success.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Wasn't Gesink riding that small gear the last 2 years as well?

Yeah, with the difference he could gear up for serious accelerations. Watch Vuelta 2009, Montreal 2010, Emilia 2009/2010, Quebec 2011 accelerations. He turns a huge gear uphill there

 

[trevim]

Yeah, with the difference he could gear up for serious accelerations. Watch Vuelta 2009, Montreal 2010, Emilia 2009/2010, Quebec 2011 accelerations. He turns a huge gear uphill there

Exactly! Right now he looks less explosive than Basso and when I first saw him (Vuelta 09) he had such a decent kick. I hope he gets it back next year.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

@ piti your ignorance is hilarious, tting is not indicative of all round cycling. I'm not saying hell ever be a good climber again but to dismiss the broken leg and expect full recovery by now, regardless of tt results is pure idiocy.



His toc win was blown out of proportion , that was not a great field and it does not translate to gt success.

I don't really think he's at his very best right now, but there isn't as much room for improvement in GTs as his fans like to believe, IMO. His current level at the Vuelta is already pretty high, but the gap between the 3 top Spaniards and him is still huge, especially if you account for the time Valv lost.

If I'm somehow wrong and Gesink didn't train excessively on his time trialing (LOL), then sure... he should still have that climbing ability somewhere, but since 2009 he hasn't shown it anywhere except on hilly courses. Not in any mountain stage.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

I don't really think he's at his very best right now, but there isn't as much room for improvement in GTs as his fans like to believe, IMO. His current level at the Vuelta is already pretty high, but the gap between the 3 top Spaniards and him is still huge, especially if you account for the time Valv lost.

If I'm somehow wrong and Gesink didn't train excessively on his time trialing (LOL), then sure... he should still have that climbing ability somewhere, but since 2009 he hasn't shown it anywhere except on hilly courses. Not in any mountain stage.

Tds 2010 (Arosa - La Punt)
Dauphine 2011 (Allevard)

2 most obvious examples (in La Punt he was even way WAY stronger than 2009)

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Tds 2010 (Arosa - La Punt)
Dauphine 2011 (Allevard)

2 most obvious examples (in La Punt he was even way WAY stronger than 2009)

Nah, like I said before, La Punt is his most overrated performance ever .... unless there was a strong head wind that day, which I doubt. His numbers weren't very impressive for a climb like that to be sure. Compare it with Sastre's rides up Alpe d'Huez, for instance. Though it's obviously his best performance since '09.

Allevard - same - also not up to his '09 level, IMO, when you account for the relative steepness and shortness of that climb.

As you've admitted before, Gesink needs to have longer form peaks than other riders to perform in GTs, so it's expected that he puts in a relatively better performance in prep races.

 

[theyoungest]

He doesn't need it, it's just the way he rolls. He holds his form for a long time, without really peaking like Andy Schleck or something. I don't know if that's him, or Delahaye, but it's been this way all his career.

As you undoubtedly know, as a close follower, who doesn't like him (interesting combination, BTW).

 

[TheEnoculator]

The problem with Gesink is he's not a very smart rider like Contador or Evans. He very seldom goes on attacks (his TOC attack was a once-in-a-blue-moon performance). And he mostly just tries to hang on to the leaders. He doesn't go out to try to overtake the leaders. Maybe he doesn't think he's good enough to do that.

Like Freire once said, "if I had Gesink's legs, I would have won the Tour by now". He's definitely a talented climber, but unless his TT skills get to the Wiggins/Martin level, he has to change the way he races to even get on the podium of a GT.

 

[Havetts]

If you can only hang on to the leaders, you can have the smartness of two Einsteins but you sure as hell can not attack. When Gesink feels good he'll attack, look at the climb to Covadonga. He sucked hard towards the Ancares, has good legs the next day and he attacks, sure it didnt result in much cause of little explosiveness due to the gear he is riding, but he tried.