Kelderman ninth in GC Tour de Suisse after top-ten place in final time trial
Wilco Kelderman finished tenth in the final climbing time trial at the Tour de Suisse. This new top-ten place moved the 33-year-old Dutchman up to ninth in the final classification. The stage win was for Joao Almeida.
On the final day of the Tour of Switzerland, a 15.7-kilometre individual climbing time trial to Villars-sur-Ollon was on the programme. After five relatively flat kilometres, the riders started the ten kilometres long final climb. Before the start of the time trial, Kelderman was tenth in the general classification, eighteen seconds behind ninth in the standings Felix Gall.
Johannes Staune-Mittet and Ben Tulett managed to set a decent finishing time at the top of Villars-sur-Ollon, although it was looking out for the big guns. Former Dutch time trial champion Kelderman started 10th in the general classification. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider confirmed his good form with a tenth place in the day's result. He passed Gall to end in ninth place in the overall standings.
"I can look back on the past week with a positive feeling"
"I could not ride the time trial as I had in mind beforehand, but in hindsight it was a fine performance. Towards the top of the climb it became difficult to keep riding smoothly. In the end, it was a fight all the way to the line. Due to some crashes, I was out of competition for a long time. I am definitely satisfied to finish here in the top ten of the final classification. I can look back on the past week with a positive feeling”, Kelderman said.