After an unproductive start to the season, Gesink found his form in the Tour of California. He finished third in the stage 5 time trial and enjoyed a prestigious victory on the slopes of Mount Baldy in stage 7 of the race, where he attacked from the finish to take the leader's jersey and the mountaintop stage win. His leading position was never seriously tested in the short final stage, and he won his first tour since the 2011 Tour of Oman. For the Tour de France, he was considered one of the Dutch hopefuls who might finish in the top ten, but he fell in the massive crash that occurred on the sixth stage, damaging his ribs. After battling through the pain, he abandoned on stage 11. He then went on to participate in the Vuelta a España, and he made an impact by finishing in sixth position overall behind the winner Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank). Gesink was always competitive in the mountains, which allowed him to retain such a high placing.