Team LottoNL-Jumbo aims for a top 10 result with Robert Gesink this Sunday in Belgium’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic. Just like in the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne, Gesink has Bert-Jan Lindeman, Enrico Battaglin and Paul Martens to support him in the final.

After his 15th place in La Flèche Wallonne, Gesink explained that he wasn’t explosive enough to finish in the top 10. For this reason, Team LottoNL-Jumbo is going to create a scenario where he can take advantage of his capacities.

“Robert is able to ride extremely hard for quite a long time,” Sports Director Addy Engels explained. “We saw on the Cauberg and the Mur de Huy that he is strong, but not enough to win. Liège-Bastogne-Liège is a totally different race and I think that he can finish top 10 in it.”

A longer finale

The weather could help him. “They predict bad weather,” he continued. “It’s going to be cold and that will change the race seriously. If the forecast is right, the front men will be isolated earlier, so the finale of the race will be longer. That’s why I think that we have to choose the same tactics as we employed in the Amstel Gold Race. With bad weather, it will be harder to control the race, so it’s more advantageous to make a move before the final climb.”

Attrition

“Liège-Bastogne-Liège is one of the toughest one-day-races of the year, especially when it’s cold and rainy,” Gesink said. “It will be a day of attrition probably and a many riders will be dropped. The front men will show themselves only in the final of the race. That was the story during the past Ardennes Classics, and it might look like we’re not racing hard, but the pace at that level that makes it barely possible to attack. I want to play a role in the race’s final and deliver a good result. Tomorrow, we do another recon. We’re going to take a look at the new roads in the finale.”

Line-up:

Enrico Battaglin, Bram Tankink, Koen Bouwman, Robert Gesink, Bert-Jan Lindeman, Paul Martens, Alexey Vermeulen and Dennis van Winden.

Sports Director:

Addy Engels.