Kelderman felt 'very good again' in the Basque Country: "I think that was true for everyone"

Visma | Lease a Bike had an active day during Thursday’s stage of the Tour of the Basque Country. In Wilco Kelderman climb strongly after the group was reeled back in. Afterwards, there was a sense of satisfaction among the Killer Bees. “We had planned in advance to get someone in the breakaway,” team director Jesper Mørkøv said on the team’s website while reflecting on the stage. “We succeeded with Sepp after a long battle. The peloton didn’t let things go, so the break was caught before the final climb.” Ahead of that last climb, Visma | Lease a Bike gave everything to position Kelderman well. “That worked out,” noted the Danish director, who was realistic about the balance of power. “Almeida was the strongest today, but Wilco held his own well in the group behind. The coming days will bring more opportunities for our team.”" target="_self">the stage won by João Almeida, the Dutch team first managed to get Sepp Kuss into the breakaway and later saw Wilco Kelderman climb strongly after the group was reeled back in. Afterwards, there was a sense of satisfaction among the Killer Bees.

“We had planned in advance to get someone in the breakaway,” team director Jesper Mørkøv said on the team’s website while reflecting on the stage. “We succeeded with Sepp after a long battle. The peloton didn’t let things go, so the break was caught before the final climb.”

Ahead of that last climb, Visma | Lease a Bike gave everything to position Kelderman well. “That worked out,” noted the Danish director, who was realistic about the balance of power. “Almeida was the strongest today, but Wilco held his own well in the group behind. The coming days will bring more opportunities for our team.”

Kelderman held strong on the final climb and stayed with the group of chasers. The experienced rider from Amersfoort even contested the sprint for second place at the end but ultimately had to settle for 11th on the day. That result moved the Dutchman up to sixth place in the general classification, 1 minute and 11 seconds behind leader João Almeida.

“I felt pretty good today,” Kelderman said afterward. “The pace was hard again, and the run-in to the final climb was already tough. On the steep sections, it was a real grind—but I think that was true for everyone.” After finishing seventh in stage three, Kelderman once again showed solid form. “I felt really good again today. With these good legs, I’m looking forward to the rest of the race.”