Another day of strong riding by Rabobank’s Robert Gesink has shown why the young Dutchman will be a force to be reckoned with for many years in the pro peloton. At the end of Stage 13 in the Vuelta a Espana, the 23-year old has climbed into 2nd place in the Vuelta’s overall general classification.

Gesink was able to mark every move by the more experienced GC leader, Alejandro Valverde of Caisse-d’Epargne, in the day’s final two climbs. Only at the finish line was Valverde able to pull one second ahead of Gesink, to claim third behind stage winner David Moncoutie of Cofidis. That gave Valverde an 8 second bonus, so he currently leads the GC just 27 seconds ahead of Gesink.

Ivan Basso of the Liquigas team moved into third, but sits over a minute behind Valverde. Cadel Evans of Silence-Lotto, who was in second in the GC at the start of the day, suffered the bad luck of a puncture at the summit of the Alto de Monachil, the next-to-last climb of the day, and then suffered double bad luck in having to wait more than a minute for a mechanic to arrive in the team car with a replacement bicycle. In the GC, Evans drops to fourth place, 1:23 behind the leader.

Others on the Rabobank team placed well on the day and benefited from the supreme climbing advantage provided by the light and stiff Giant TCR Advanced SL bicycles the squad rides. Koos Morenhout secured the Solidario prize on the day, winning sprint points during the stage. He finished 18th. Another Rabo rider was also in the top 20 on the stage; Juan Manuel Garate finished 13th. He had been in a break for a time, holding onto a lead position that allowed him to support Gesink as the GC group approached the finish.