Gesink was the best-ranked Dutchman and highest up of the Rabo riders. He ranked 62nd, 3.36 minutes behind Fabian Cancellara and Lance Armstrong. The 23-year-old was especially eager for the Tour to move into the mountains where he could excell as a climber. "I'll be glad when we move away from the stress and the wind of the first week," he said earlier.
Because of his climbing skills and successes earlier in the season, Gesink featured in all the Tour predictions. He was considered a likely winner of the white jersey to be awarded to the most talented young rider, a candidate for the 'King of the Mountain' polka-dotted jersey, and maybe even one of the three on the final podium in Paris.
But after 120 kilometres in the fifth stage of the Tour, from Le Cap d’Agde to Perpignan, Gesink crashed and fell into a ditch during his descent from the Col de Treille. Despite injuring his left wrist and knee, Gesink got back on his bike and, with the help of his teammates Joost Posthuma and Grischa Niermann, caught up with the peloton.
Gesink continued for another 80 kilometres, but he was suffering visibly. Blood was dripping from his leg and arm and he often held only the right side of his handelbars. He finally finished 9.30 minutes behind stage winner Thomas Voeckler.
"My wrist started hurting immediately," he told Dutch broadcaster NOS after a visit to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured radius. "At a certain point I could not use my left arm to break and steer, which got pretty dangerous."
Gesink will fly to the Netherlands on Thursday leaving behind a dismayed team. Star rider Denis Menchov, the winner of this year's Giro d'Italia, is virtually beaten at almost 4 minutes behind the frontrunners. He cycled a disappointing individual time trial and crashed in the team time trial. Meanwhile, the team is being haunted by a blood doping investigation in Austria.
When he realised that his first Tour de France was over, Gesink's thoughts immediately went to the Vuelta, he said. He now hopes to compete in the Tour of Spain, which begins in the Dutch town Assen on August 29.
