Nine months ago on the second rest day of the Giro d’Italia in Piancavallo, he could still dream of winning the Italian round. Now on the second rest day of the Tour de France in Andorra la Vella, places two and three of cycling’s main podium are running through his head. Although the leader of BORA-hansgrohe, the current number six in the standings, is now honest enough to admit that this time he does not feel that he belongs to the strongest candidates for these top-3 positions in Paris.
No, in recent days Kelderman saw that Jonas Vingegaard, Rigoberto Urán and Richard Carapaz were a bit stronger than him. That is why he does not want to get too far ahead of the possibilities that the final week of the Tour de France offers him during the digital meeting with about fifteen journalists. There are still three tough stages through the Pyrenees on the program, while there is another time trial through the Saint-Emillion wine region on Saturday.
Of course Kelderman is only 58 seconds away from second place. Although he also knows that the difference between number two Urán and number eight Enric Mas is also only 1.53 minutes. So after the wear and tear of the past two weeks in the always tough final week of the Tour, a lot is still possible, in the battle for the podium places behind Tadej Pogačar. It may be a cliché, but Kelderman rightly uses it regularly: in a big round you have to live from day to day.
Has Pogačar become unreachable? Since the first rest day, he has not won any time on number two Rigoberto Urán. And you lost only 18 seconds to him in the last week?
“That’s because Pogačar is racing very defensively after the Alps. He has made his mark for the first day of rest and from then on he checks his position. We also haven’t had an uphill arrival since the first rest day. After the Mont Ventoux there was a descent and also in Andorra a long descent followed after the Col de Beixalis. It is precisely when the finish is uphill that you see the most time differences. The coming days there are still arrivals at the Col de Portet and Luz-Ardiden. That’s where the ranking will be made. I don’t think Pogačar was less in the second week or that his position is still in jeopardy.”
photo: Color Vos
And if we then look at the numbers two to eight. How are those relationships?
“It seems that everyone there is evenly matched. The fight for second place is going to be very interesting. Everyone is still very close to each other. I still feel good myself. The last few days, Urán, Vingegaard and Carapaz may have been a little better. With Ben O’Connor we have to wait and see, because his driving is unstable. Look at his bad day on Mont Ventoux. I hope to be there again in the coming days. Usually in a big round I always have a super good day. So far I have not had that feeling in this Tour. Alone on the way to Tignes I felt really good, but I wasn’t driving too smart that day.”
Your biggest setback so far was the time trial in Laval. Is that a handicap for the final time trial on Saturday in Saint-Emillion?
“No, the time trial is normally just a weapon of mine. I also deliberately trained a lot on my time trial bike this year. That day I had quite a lot of pain in my elbow. In the first ride I had bruised it in a fall. The tip of the elbow was painful because my bursa was inflamed there. We even had to put foam on my braces, otherwise I couldn’t be in the aerodynamic position at all.”
“Although I still didn’t find my ideal position. It didn’t work out. I didn’t feel good the whole time trial. I gave everything and in terms of abilities I did well. However, if you are not in your optimal position, you cannot achieve top time. I was quite upset about that. Normally, the problem with the elbow in the final time trial no longer plays a role, although this will also be a special time trial on Saturday. It is therefore mainly about who still has something in the tank. And when I look at most of the riders ahead of me in the standings, they all have a good time trial in their legs too.”
photo: Color Vos
Have you explored the rides in the Pyrenees?
“Yes, I did the ride to the Col de Portet. There are three difficult climbs in a row in the final. The final climb has an average gradient of about 9% and goes above 2,000 meters. That’s a pretty tough climb, we’re really going to see differences there.”
Do you dare to play all or nothing in the Pyrenees?
“Of course I would like to attack, but that is only possible if you have good legs. If the legs are less, you are automatically working on limiting your damage. I hope that super good day is yet to come, but form does not come to order.”
Last year you finished third in the Giro d’Italia. In the final week you rode in the pink leader’s jersey for two more days. How do you feel about the second rest day in that Giro?
“I felt a little better then. I was stronger and more stable in Italy. I was then second in the standings, fifteen seconds behind João Almeida. In this Tour I go to the bottom much more often and I have few reserves left towards the finish. I am therefore more compelled to follow than I have the strength to attack. That feeling may change in the grueling closing week. Although it is difficult to compare the Giro and the Tour. The level is really a bit higher in the Tour.”
Wilco Kelderman with Richard Carapaz and Jonas Vingegaard – photo: Cor Vos
It’s your fourth Tour de France. So far you have never managed to finish in the top thirty. Does your love for the Tour begin to grow with this achievement?
“I thought about it regularly for the first week. The Tour is really not fun. There is so much stress and hassle around this match. I like the pure course much more. With all the falls in the first days you have to be lucky to get through it well. In the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España it’s much more relaxed and you can focus more on the race. On the other hand, you also know that the Tour is the big race of the year. With all the fans on the mountains, that also gives an extra boost. Only here you are busy with so many peripheral matters that you can concentrate much less on the game. I do regret that.”
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