"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

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.

"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.