"I haven't experienced that feeling in a very long time, not since my U23 days": Wilco Kelderman ends 11-year drought with Dutch national title
Cycling
Wilco Kelderman has claimed the Dutch national road race title after a long-range solo attack that proved unstoppable. The experienced rider launched his winning move with 25 kilometers remaining and maintained his advantage to the finish, winning again 11 years later.
Kelderman’s decisive move came late in the race but was perfectly timed, as he quickly established a gap that no rider could close. Behind him, the chase failed to organize effectively, allowing the gap to stabilise and grow in the decisive kilometres.
Kelderman's teammate Menno Huising produced another strong performance. After bridging across to the front earlier in the race, he finished 11th after contesting the sprint from a reduced chasing group.
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A long-awaited breakthrough moment for Kelderman
"It felt amazing to cross the finish line with my hands in the air. I haven't experienced that feeling in a very long time, not since my U23 days, actually. It wasn't necessarily my plan to attack that early, but it quickly became clear that the race was very difficult to control from behind."
"On the final lap, I still had a solid gap, but you're always thinking, 'Are they going to catch me?' In the end, I stayed away. Today everything came together. It's still hard to believe... I honestly can't believe it yet," Kelderman said after the finish.
The victory marks a rare triumph for Kelderman, who has spent much of his career as a consistent Grand Tour support rider and GC contender that made it to the top 10 many times but failed to win consistently. It is in fact Kelderman's fifth professional win, and the first since 2015, when he won the Dutch time trial national championships.
Besides of that, he won the 2011 Tour de l'Ain prologue, stage 5 of the Tour of Denmark in 2013 and the GC of that same race one day later.
Félix SernaCycling Journalist
Félix Serna is a writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2025. He covers professional cycling across both the men’s and women’s calendars, with a focus on UCI rankings, race developments, and rider performance. His work includes interview-based reports, liveblogs, and tournament coverage designed to provide clear, accurate context throughout the season.
In his reporting, Félix regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical reference. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. He holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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