Jumbo-Visma rider Robert Gesink is the latest pro to show that a disrupted racing calendar and self-isolation will not stop him from training hard after posting a mammoth 250km Zwift ride.
The Dutchman, who currently lives in the pro cycling mecca of Andorra, spent his Sunday clocking 250km and just over seven hours on the indoor trainer around the fictional Zwift island of Watopia.
Except, rather than using your usual direct-drive smart trainer, Gesink notched it up to 11 by using the Tacx Magnum smart bike treadmill.
Blessed with what looks like a lot of free space in his Andorran rig, Gesink was able to utilise the realistic, advanced rollers for a day’s worth of riding while stuck indoors.
The Vuelta a Espana stage winner was not hanging about either, rolling around the virtual volcano and jungles at an average of 35.2kmh pushing an average of 252 watts for the entire ride, a figure most amateurs would struggle to maintain for one hour, let alone seven.
Along the way, Gesink clocked 2,927m of virtual vertical elevation sticking to a smooth average cadence of 88rpm.
Keeping things easy, Gesink’s times up the Corkscrew and Mount Zwift climbs were pretty average although still much faster than most of us could ride the climbs at full tilt.
And to inject a sense of normality into these unique times, Gesink even took a brief stop during his ride to indulge in what looks to be a delicious cappuccino and homemade brownie, with cream!
The 33-year-old was not the only rider to clock up some serious miles in replacement of the races, either.
Last week, AG2R La Mondiale’s Oliver Naesen took on a 365km tour of Flanders while Lotto-Soudal’s Thomas de Gendt replaced Milan-San Remo with a 303km ride with teammate Jasper de Buyst, also around Flanders, over the weekend too.