“I hope to be part of a lot of wins again this season” - Robert Gesink on his final year as a professional rider

Now in his eighteenth and final season as a professional rider, Robert Gesink is a veteran of the peloton. Having spent his entire career as a rider for Visma | Lease a Bike through its various forms after coming through the ranks at the Rabobank development team, Gesink is hoping to have a successful final season before his retirement at the end of the year.

In an interview with GCN, Gesink said “It’s been eighteen years and it's been really nice experiences, I’ve travelled the world and did what I loved to do. Last season was still really good towards the end with a really high level in the Vuelta. This year I’m going to do the Giro and the Vuelta, and hope to do a similar level”.

“My whole career has been in different phases and the last few years it’s all been about supporting and helping others out, and I’m happy doing that,” said the Dutchman. “I’ll be doing the Giro with Cian [Uijtdebroeks] and I’ve been working with Jonas [Vingegaard] last year in the Vuelta. I think that worked out really well and I’m looking forward to doing it again”.

In the twilight of his career, Gesink is still keen to get everything out of his final year, stating that “I always said it's like old toothpaste. You’re trying to push all the last little bits out of this old man”.