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Gesink aiming for the Vuelta

By Susan Westemeyer

published 15 July 2009

Dutchman back on the bike a week after breaking wrist

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Robert Gesink crashed hard in the Tour's fifth stage.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Rabobank's Robert Gesink (R) crosses the finish line with teammate Grischa Niermann nearly ten minutes after the peloton's arrival.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Only one week after breaking his wrist in the Tour de France's fifth stage Robert Gesink (Rabobank) is back on the bike, planning a training camp and looking forward to the next Grand Tour.

Gesink withdraws from Tour

The 23-year-old will go to St. Moritz for three weeks of altitude training, beginning on Monday. The training will fit in with his preparations for the Vuelta a Espana. The Dutchman's first races back are expected to be the Tour du Limousin (August 18-21) and the GP Ouest France – Plouay (August 23).

Gesink went for his first bike ride on Wednesday after receiving a new cast on his broken wrist. “I cycled for a few hours with my girlfriend,” he said on the team's website, rabosport.nl. “It was nice to be back on the bike and to see that things are going well.”

Gesink was coping well with the disappointment of crashing out of the Tour. “Of course it was shit, but it is not the end of the world.” Being able to look forward to the Vuelta made a difference, he noted.

He couldn't avoid watching the Tour now, despite his best efforts. He went to Brussels for two days with his parents, his girlfriend and her parents. “The TV was on in every store we went into. You just couldn't miss the Tour. But I'm handling it pretty well.”

Meanwhile, he has been in daily contact to a few teammates at the Tour, and said “My sports heart is still in France.”

Gesink joined the Rabobank Continental team in 2006, and the ProTour team in 2007. Last season he finished seventh overall in the Vuelta.