Tour de France - Gesink out with broken wrist
Eurosport - Wed, 08 Jul 22:12:00 2009
Dutchman Robert Gesink has pulled out of the Tour de France with a wrist fracture after crashing during the fifth stage from Cap d'Agde to Perpignan, race organisers said.
"A scan has shown a fracture in the lower part of the radius," organisers said in their daily medical report.
"He will not start the sixth stage."
Gesink, who was seventh overall in last year's Tour of Spain, finished Wednesday's stage nine minutes 35 seconds adrift of Frenchman Thomas Voeckler.
The 22-year-old is considered one of the top hopes of Dutch cycling and his withdrawal continued the Rabobank team's unhappy start to the Tour.
"What is happening to us is just terrible," said team director Frans Maassen.
"After our disastrous Tour start, we were putting all our hopes on Robert in the mountains and this ruins our plans completely."
Maassen said he realised 30 kms from the finish line in Perpignan, when Gesink, who crashed after 120 kms, was unable to hold the handlebars, that his Tour was over.
The young rider's misfortunes follow those suffered by team leader Denis Menchov, the Giro d'Italia champion.
The Russian lost 1:30 in the opening individual time trial in Monaco and crashed in Tuesday's team time trial in Montpellier, virtually ruining his chances for overall victory.
To add to the team's woes, six of their past or current riders have been asked by Austrian police to testify in an anti-doping investigation.
The Rabobank management have made it clear they would withdraw in case of revelations of any form of organised doping in the team.
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Comment 1 - 8 of 8
chris can i also remind you that tyler hamilton was done for drugs after that ride!!
Bad luck for Robert - he is a man for the future. Hopefully he can come back for the Vuelta.
It wasn`t Tyler Hamilton - after he broke his collar bone his twin took over in disguise!
It must be a serious fracture or in a very unfortunate place because we all know how tough these guys can be. Just take the case of Tyler Hamilton finishing 4th in the General Classification after breaking his collar bone in a crash in the 2nd stage of the 2003 TDF. I can only express my sadness at your early departure and wish you a speedy recovery.
You have to hand it to him, he should be a threat for the future, although mostly 'armless now.
Fair play to the lad. To finish a hard, windy stage, with a broken wrist, off the back of the peleton, true grit there for you. If he can show that same grit in a few years time, at the front of the peleton, there's a good rider here in the making.
At least he did not crash going up hill. He can take that away with him.
bad luck for Robert was looking forward to seeing him do something this tour
First of all he is 23 years old. Second, yesterday Posthuma was interviewed by the Dutch television station and he told the whole storey about this. He, Menchov and Weening had to come to Austria to give a statement and all three are declared innocent this weak by the Austrian authorities.
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