Kelderman close to stage win in third stage of Tour de Suisse
Wilco Kelderman finished sixth in the third stage of the Tour de Suisse. The Dutchman rode a strong final kilometer and led the peloton for a long time on the uphill stretch towards the finish line. In the end, Kelderman was outpaced by five others a hundred meters from the line.
The second stage in line of this Tour de Suisse had a relatively easy run-up to a tricky finale. The race opened up on the final climb of the day, just after the peloton had caught the last early breakaway rider. Cian Uijtdebroeks responded to several attacks. A little later Ben Tulett also showed his strength by following an attack.
In the last seven hundred meters the road rose seven percent. Kelderman tried it there and rode several hundred meters at the head of a now significantly thinned out peloton. The 33-year-old Dutchman, in Switzerland on his first race since his crash in Paris-Nice, held on to the lead for a long time, but had to capitulate. In the end, Kelderman finished sixth, making him the new number three in the general classification.
"This performance gives me a good feeling"
“This performance gives me a good feeling", Kelderman stated afterwards. "It was another hectic day. That's what the Tour de Suisse is known for. Almost every day there are fast stages, and it's up and down all day. We rode a good final as a team. We were always well in front. We knew it was going to be a tough final with a steep climb at the end. I was already thinking about attacking if I saw an opportunity. In the last few hundred meters I went for it. From that moment on I set my mind at zero and rode full speed to the finish. Unfortunately there were five riders just a little bit faster. I can be in peace with this sixth place. The good feeling prevails. I haven't raced since Paris-Nice, so I am very happy with my current shape. It gives a lot of confidence towards the next stages."