Three Rabo Riders Finish Top-10

Stage 3 of the Tour de Suisse saw the Rabobank team play a pivotal role in an exciting day of racing. At the end of a hard-fought battle, three Rabobank riders finished in the top-10, with Dutch rider Bauke Mollema riding to a podium finish on his Giant TCR Advanced SL team bike. Mollema finished third, just 3 seconds behind stage winner Frank Schleck of Luxembourg.

The 197-kilometer stage from Sierre to Schwarzenburg saw a flurry of attacks in the final 40 kilometers, which featured a challenging circuit favoring classics-type riders.

Rabobank’s Robert Gesink was one of the first to make a big move in the final kilometers. He ended up finishing seventh. With Spaniard Juan Manuel Garate finishing sixth, Rabobank took top honors in the Stage 3 teams classification.

After 3 of 9 stages, Mollema is 10th in the general classification and Gesink is 17th. Both are within 30 seconds of race leader Tony Martin. And in the overall teams classification, Rabobank is currently third overall.

The Tour de Suisse, the last major ProTour stage race before the Tour de France in July, is seen as an important warm-up for the three-week grand tour in France. The race continues Tuesday with Stage 4, a 192-kilometer race from Schwarzenburg to Wettingen.