It was a bad day for Belkin in yesterday's queen stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. Robert Gesink was forced to abandon the race at the midpoint while Bauke Mollema didn't live up to his own expectations as he could only manage 20th.

The Belkin Pro Cycling Team lost Robert Gesink but maintained Bauke Mollema's overall position yesterday in Tirreno-Adriatico. Mollema placed 20th on the mountaintop finish to Selvarotonda in Italy's south and moved to 14th overall.

"I was there but I hoped for a bit more today," Mollema said at the cold and sunny finish on top of the 14-kilometre climb. "I felt good until the last five kilometres of the climb but then I don't know, maybe the distance and the hard day. I was just not really feeling good anymore."

Alberto Contador (Tinkoff-Saxo) won the 244-kilometre stage from Tuscany into Lazio. Mollema finished 34 seconds back. Gesink had pain urinating and abandoned at the day's feed zone.

Ahead of the stage, Sports Director Nico Verhoeven predicted that Gesink could play for the overall win. However, the Dutchman pulled out of the Tirreno only four days in. He climbed off his bike after 120 kilometres.

"It was a setback for the team but I think that we kept focused and I tried to give everything," Mollema explained.

"Bram Tankink helped and Marc Goos, our youngster, was with me all the way until the second last climb. For the young guy, he did a good job. Also the others helped me start the climbs always on the front. As a team, we did a good job despite the unexpected loss of Robert. In the final, though, I was just not good enough to follow the top 10 riders."

Mollema could move into the top ten tomorrow. He sits just ten seconds and four places behind with another mountain day to come. The Tirreno-Adriatico peloton must climb the Passo Lanciano but the big punch comes in the form of a 610-metre climb to the finish in Guardiagrele that averages 22.2 per cent. So steep, the locals call it a wall or muro.

"It's a steep finish," Mollema said. "Last year, the steep finish suited me well. I was second on the stage to Chieti. I hope to do at least better than today and then we'll see about the overall classification."

You can read our preview of stage 5 here.