“Robert was in good position from the beginning of the stage,” sports director, Erik Dekker said. “He was well-placed in a group of 24 riders who survived the Mount Hamilton climb. Afterwards, we endured the dangers as a team. There were a couple of tricky descents in the profile. We always started those descents in the front with each other. Laurens did a good job for Robert in the final kilometres. It was a beautiful team effort.”

High pace
As a result of that team effort, Gesink was able to sprint to the sixth place in the stage and move up the general classification too. That wasn’t easy, because of the fact that the pace was high from the beginning. In the first kilometres of the stage, it was a big fight between the riders who wanted to be in the breakaway. Afterwards, the pace increased even more on Mount Hamilton and forced a group of 24 riders free with Robert Gesink and Laurens ten Dam.

Gallon of beer
“I’ve had a good day,” Ten Dam said. “It’s been a while since I was able to follow the best climbers uphill that easily. I had a few difficulties in the descents, afterwards, but I came through it without any damage. I was able to work for Robert in the final kilometres. After that, I slowed down and chose my own pace for the last climb. I was able to give some high fives to the crowd. They know me after four participations in this race. We get a lot of presents here, too. We even got a gallon of beer. It’s nice to see that cycling is becoming more and more popular in this area.”