Robert Gesink proved that he is back in good condition after his heart surgery when he finished 8th in the hardest stage of the Tour de Pologne to move into sixth in the overall standings. The Dutchman now hopes to move into the top 5 after the time trial.

Robert Gesink of Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM continued his string of solid performances by racing to eighth in the hilly sixth stage at the Tour of Poland on Friday. Rafal Majka (Tinkoff-Saxo) won for the second day in a row to take the overall leader's jersey, while Gesink climbed up from 10th to sixth overall overall with one day of racing to go. Lars Petter Nordhaug was 13th at 42 seconds back to give Belkin two in the top-20.

"Robert had a really good ride. It was a really hard stage today, with a lot of climbs, but the team did a great job protecting Robert," said Belkin Sports Director Michiel Elijzen. "It was a circuit course, with three hard climbs per lap. Robert was there, and Lars Petter also had a good ride, so with eighth and 13th on the stage, we can be happy."
 

There was a blizzard of attacks in the 174-kilometre stage from Bukovina Terma Spa to Bukowina Tatrzaska, but with the GC still on the line, the major teams collaborated to set up the favorites for a charge over a series of short climbs.

"We tried to get into the breakaway, with David Tanner, Jack Bobridge, and Paul Martens, but they were caught each time," Elijzen said. "Eight riders did pull clear, but the peloton controlled it. It went really quickly, and it came down to the final laps."
 

The 71st Tour of Poland concludes Saturday with a flat, out-and-back 25-kilometre time trial at Krakow. Gesink is hoping to move up.

"Majka looks good to win the overall, but we hope that if Robert has a good time trial, he can move up into the top-5 overall," Elijzen said. "Robert is racing really well. Perhaps he's missing a bit of punch, because he hasn't been racing much, but he's happy and relaxed. Up next for him is the Vuelta a España."