Gesink Discussion Thread

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Referring to a Pole with a German surname as "SS" has to be wrong.

Oh god, let's leave crap like this out of here please. Using initials is as old as using names. If it were such a travesty his parents should have named him differently.

 

[staubsauger]

i put it in this fred, because it has nothing to do with the giro :

None of them can win Suisse, maybe Gesink himself but it remains to be seen what winning the Tour of California translates to in a strong field of contenders.

actually i really believe kruisjwijk is able to win it. i mean he already have been close to it last year. it wouldn't make any tactical sense from rabobank to let all of them focus on the tour and not giving anyone a free role for suisse.

talking about gesink to win suisse, i think we're talking about what his tactical plans are now? will he just try to get a good result in france while taking the risk to fail completly again or will he try to add suisse to his season palmares and giving mollema a more free role at the tour.

the best tactic might even be to lose a bunch of time in the first hilly stage in france and then going on to win the mountains jearsey, get some stage wins and climbing into the top 10 that way, just like garzelli did it at the giro in 2009 (altough he didn't get a win). but i doubt he'll do it that way

but from my point of view it's pretty sure robert isn't entering important races like california or suisse to just hang around there. he always have had the respect to get result there (stage win and/or general/youth's classification). i hope he's staying with that mentality

 

[theyoungest]

Kruijswijk was close last year in Suisse, but that was after the Giro. Just like Rodriguez in the Dauphine, these guys had a big advantage in terms of form.

I don't think it makes sense for Gesink to ride for the polka dots in the Tour, he's by far the best TTist of those three guys so it makes most sense to let him go for GC, at least until he crashes or otherwise loses lots of time.

 

[staubsauger]

Kruijswijk was close last year in Suisse, but that was after the Giro. Just like Rodriguez in the Dauphine, these guys had a big advantage in terms of form.

I don't think it makes sense for Gesink to ride for the polka dots in the Tour, he's by far the best TTist of those three guys so it makes most sense to let him go for GC, at least until he crashes or otherwise loses lots of time.

one swallow does not make a summer! otherwise i agree with you on that after rob's strong california time trial.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Oh stop it. As if this is the first ITT Gesink did well in.

As I said pre-2010 and after 2010, Gesink has a good time trial. I don't know what went wrong in Tdsuisse 2010 and TDF 2010, but those time trials were an anomaly. I have said that countless times and countless times I've been proven right about Gesinks ITT. It's good, probably one of the best of all the climbers. Way better than the Schlecks and capable of severely limiting the damage to Evans/Wiggins.
I've posted all examples of good ITT's in 2010 when people said he was a horrible ITT-er because of the TdS/TDF time trials. And after 2010 I've only been proven right about his ITT when it was good again.

 

[theyoungest]

Gesink just has a bigger engine than Mollema and Kruijswijk, and should normally always finish ahead of them on a flat TT. Mollema will probably have better form in the Tour, but the course isn't that suited to him, apart from a few explosive finishes in the first week.

 

[airstream]

Gesink just has a bigger engine than Mollema and Kruijswijk, and should normally always finish ahead of them on a flat TT. Mollema will probably have better form in the Tour, but the course isn't that suited to him, apart from a few explosive finishes in the first week.

Which place would you consider proper for Gesink?

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Which place would you consider proper for Gesink?

Hard to tell.. they are all so close together at the top but I'd be suprised if, in top form, he didn't finish top 5 at least. Then again, we don't know where post-broken leg Gesink is in top form. It's a complete new rider after breaking your leg in 4 places. Can't really compare him with the old one anyway.

I believe when everything goes right, and I mean everything, so top form + no falls + no illness + no hunger knocks or other silly ****, he could finish podium and battle for the win. But that goes for 6/7 others as well. As I also said before.
There's ofcourse Evans and Wiggins, but also Sanchez, Menchov, Schleck (Andy), Vandenbroeck, Nibali, etc, hard to gauge which one will be better

 

[staubsauger]

rob already finished ahead of lance armstrong and others back in 2009 at the toc time trial. simply that's a pure indication he is and always have been a decent time trialer. anyway he managed to fail in nearly any gt tt he entered in the past. he even lost his gc spot against purito in that hilly vuelta tt back in 2008 (which should have suited him normally). so after california this year i simply have got big hope he's got the confidence now to call up his tt potential in a gt. but i still got my doubts based on his past.

well, he finally seems to have that morale, courache and winning mentality a bicycler needs after fighting all his strokes. mount baldy should be a huge breakthrough for him personal in psychic as well as physical terms!

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

2008 was his first GT, he said he was tired in the third week.
2009 he did an ok tt despite the hole in his leg.
2010 he wasn't good (TT i mean), and 2011 is just a non-factor.

Gesink's biggest enemy in GT racing thus far has been lady luck.

 

[greenedge]

Mollema ,apart from a few explosive finishes in the first week.

I don't know whether he will win in that first week though.

Valverde will be there and i can really envisage Liquigas ( Nibali/ Sagan ) and BMC ( Gilbert/ Evans ) controlling those stages and most likely winning.

Samu, Voeckler and a few others can also be counted.

 

[theyoungest]

I don't know whether he will win in that first week though.

Valverde will be there and i can really envisage Liquigas ( Nibali/ Sagan ) and BMC ( Gilbert/ Evans ) controlling those stages and most likely winning.

Samu, Voeckler and a few others can also be counted.

I don't think he'll win a stage, he's not exactly a winner, but I mean it's good for him in terms of GC, he can take a few seconds here and there.

 

[LaFlorecita]

6th place. I don't discount contador like others

Let me give you a hug.

 

[Azabael]

http://now.rabosport.nl/user/RGUpdate/view/12903959

Look, Gesink is teaching Kruijswijk how to climb in a pedal rhythm merely equalled by Armstrong

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I still dont like gesink's chances at the tour. I think it will be a pretty big fail by rabo again

 

[cineteq]

I really like Gesink and Rabo's chances in the Tour. A Clockwork Orange!

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

http://now.rabosport.nl/user/RGUpdate/view/12903959

Look, Gesink is teaching Kruijswijk how to climb in a pedal rhythm merely equalled by Armstrong

You can't make this **** up.

 

[theyoungest]

Yeah, training with Gesink has really hurt Kruijswijk's progression

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

Yeah, training with Gesink has really hurt Kruijswijk's progression

I like the guy, but his progression seems to have come to a halt. This high cadence BS certainly won't help.

 

[theyoungest]

A bit quick to judge, no? Last year he didn't do anything before the Giro either. He's a three week rider.

Plus the fact that this isn't a super high cadence. Probably just a relaxed training.

 

[18-Valve. (pithy)]

A bit quick to judge, no? Last year he didn't do anything before the Giro either. He's a three week rider.

Plus the fact that this isn't a super high cadence. Probably just a relaxed training.

It just seems that way right now. It's not impossible to improve in races that do not suit you. I'll withhold further judgment until after the TDF.

As for the high cadence thing, Gesink does that in actual races.

 

[Gloin22]

If he doesnt fall and gets sick I am sure he will make a podium. He won't win imo but podium should be within his sight.

 

[The Hitch]

It reminds me of what people said after Basso won the Giro, and we've seen last year how close he was in the Tour...

Injury excuses are only allowed for Gesink?

 

[theyoungest]

Injury excuses are only allowed for Gesink?

You're a bit late to the party, I already said that this wasn't the core of my argument... but if you equal a broken femur to hurting your face, be my guest.

Tony Martin, anyone?

 

[Bavarianrider]

I really like Gesink and Rabo's chances in the Tour. A Clockwork Orange!

His position looks good at first glance, however,
his head is actually pretty high.
He should get rid of this extra height on the handlebars. His position needs to be lower.
Look at Tony.
His head his a lot closer to the handlebars.