The tip of the highway is in sight now for Robert Gesink, because the veteran Dutch allrounder and extensively revered domestique heads into the ultimate six days of his profession on the Vuelta a España.
However whereas it’s purely coincidence that it is going to be Madrid the place he turns his final pedal strokes in a highway race, it by some means additionally feels acceptable that destiny has determined it’s the Spanish capital the place the curtain lastly falls on his time within the peloton.
For one factor, the Vuelta a España is the one Grand Tour the place Gesink has held the general lead, again in 2021 when the race began on residence soil with a workforce time trial in Utrecht. For one more, the Vuelta was the place Gesink took his first Grand Tour breakthrough outcomes, ending seventh general in 2008 as a second-year-pro and sixth in 2009.
Additional strengthening of his hyperlinks with the Vuelta occurred when Gesink secured his one (so far) Grand Tour stage win within the race on the Aubisque in 2016, which can also be, because it occurs, his most up-to-date victory. Final however not least, along with Sepp Kuss, Gesink has additionally fashioned a part of Visma-Lease a Bike’s 4 profitable groups within the Vuelta, from 2019 by means of to 2021 with Primož Roglič after which once more in 2023 with the American in particular person.
In some methods, his totally different roles within the Vuelta mirrored his improvement as a professional generally, Gesink informed Cyclingnews earlier this week, beginning with hopes to do a great general classification, then shifting on to stage wins and, lastly, teamwork.
However as Gesink says, he’s happy to have the ability to end his profession – as he’ll do in Madrid – in a Grand Tour regardless of which one, given the ambiance amongst a workforce on the finish of a three-week race is all the time very particular.
“It’s not due to the outcomes however simply because the feeling after a Grand Tour is all the time totally different,” Gesink informed Cyclingnews.
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“You’ve had three weeks on the highway with the identical group of fellows, you find yourself all going out for a bit dinner together with your households…so after 18 years, it’s good to complete off in a Grand Tour.
“However I’ve bought good reminiscences in lots of races, and generally I’m tremendous happy with a pleasant profession that’s been by means of all of the totally different areas highway racing can have.”
After his GC-oriented begin, “I then gave it a strive one yr to win levels [2016] and that even labored, then I focussed extra on serving to others after which within the Vuelta in 2022 I as soon as once more bought near profitable a stage once more.
“It’s true that the Vuelta has seen among the finest outcomes of my profession, so meaning one thing now as effectively.”
With 11 Vueltas in his palmares – in addition to 10 Excursions and three Giros – Gesink has had loads of alternatives to race on all the nation’s main climbs, and he will probably be trying ahead, specifically, he says, to tackling the Lagos de Covadonga for one final time on Tuesday afternoon.
“I’ve good reminiscences there, I got here second in a stage there as soon as from a break [2016 behind Nairo Quintana -Ed.], so positively that’s a pleasant factor to do.
“However mainly, I’m it daily like all the time as a result of if you’re making an attempt to supervise it multi function go, it will get fairly massive, I suppose. It’s higher to interrupt it up into items.”
It’s not simply on the finish of this yr’s Vuelta levels the place the 38-year-old has had alternatives to move again down reminiscence lane yet one more time. Again in 2022, the cat. 1 Alto del Piornal in western Spain featured because the summit end the place Gesink all however culminated a 137-kilometre breakaway with one other victory, solely to be pipped on the line by Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep). Two years later, on stage 4, the Vuelta crossed over the identical summit, however proper in the beginning of the day’s motion, en path to Pico Villuercas.
“It was humorous, Enric Mas (Movistar) got here to me on the climb [on stage 4 of the Vuelta], and he apologized once more for chasing me down again in 2022 on the identical ascent after which not profitable the dash.
“It was humorous as a result of Mas and Evenepoel had already come as much as me the day after that stage again in 2022, they usually each stated they didn’t wish to shut down my transfer, however the different one had carried out so, so that they needed to chase. So I nonetheless have to determine which one is a real story!
“It was a pity, anyway, to not win that day. However I used to be very proud to indicate to myself I may nonetheless go for a victory.”
Again in 2024 and his final ever race, Gesink says he’s “doing OK. It’s been a tricky Vuelta in numerous methods – due to the warmth and due to the racing, then Granada was robust due to the parcours and the climate. However I’m doing rather well, and it’s enjoyable to be a part of this group.”
His possibilities of getting in a break one final time, he says, are all near zero, given he’s primarily a workforce function. As he places it, the principle focus of the workforce is on Van Aert and “getting him to do what he does finest, and in the intervening time, that appears to be profitable levels.”
The truth that that is the final time he’s racing competitively as an expert makes for an actual number of emotions, he agrees. But it surely has additionally motivated him to make certain he goes out on as excessive a word as potential.
“I’ve all the time been cautious on the highway, however coming into right here, it was good to do the final altitude camp, the final preparation for the race.
“I definitely had a bit of additional morale as a result of I do know it’s the final time, say, that I’ll sacrifice having a bottle of wine at residence, which you normally would have opened, however this time you determine to remain a bit bit extra skilled. Stuff like that.
“Within the race, I simply wished to be in a extremely excessive degree, and happily, right here within the Vuelta, it looks like it’s understanding rather well.”
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