On Monday evening in Den Bosch Robert Gesink (Rabobank) was voted Dutch cyclist of the year. This makes the second consecutive year that the rider has won the Gerrit Schulte Trophy, named after the famous Dutch cyclist. The other nominees were Gesink's teammate Lars Boom and Johnny Hoogerland from the Vacansoleil team.
Gesink, 23, was chosen by the readers of Wieler Magazine with the help of a panel of former professional cyclists. The Rabobank rider had hopes for a high finish overall in this year's Tour de France, but a heavy fall prematurely ended his campaign. He recovered quickly from his injury at the Tour to contest the Vuelta a Espana, only to have his Grand Tour bad luck continue with a crash on stage 17. This time he was able to continue on with the race, and ride himself into a respectable sixth place. The young Dutchman finished off his season well with a win in the Giro dell'Emilia.
Marianne Vos took the women's prize home for the fourth consecutive year. She had an impressive season with highlights that saw the versatile rider become cyclo-cross world champion, win the World Cup, and take home the Dutch national championships. Vos also came in second place in the world championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland.