"It gave me goosebumps" - Wilco Kelderman reacts to the news that he will wear Rabobank jerseys again after 14 years

The exciting news of Rabobank's return to the highest level of cycling spread like a fire. One of the most iconic orange jerseys from 2000s and early 2010s might return to peloton with Visma | Lease a Bike, whom Rabobank joins this summer as a jersey sponsor.

Two weeks ago, Wilco Kelderman heard for the first time that Rabobank would once again become one of the team's sponsors. For the Dutch cyclist who grew up cheering on the men in orange kits, and later even briefly raced for Rabobank it is a special moment: "Very special. Most people didn't expect this, of course. For me, it's extra special. It was a real goosebump moment when I heard that Rabobank would once again become a sponsor," he told Wieler Revue. 

His thoughts immediately went to the beginning of his career. "All kinds of memories came flooding back into my head. You start thinking about where it's going to end. Are we going to go back to a Dutch national team like it used to be? How is it going to develop in the end? In the past, many cyclists cycled in a Rabobank shirt and I always thought that was great."

The bank was one of the reasons Kelderman became attached to cycling. "As a young boy I watched television and saw Boogerd and Dekker winning Tour de France stages. Rabobank... I looked up to that team. The team was an inspiration to me. It became a dream to ride around in that shirt."

Kelderman is in the last year of his contract so with Rabobank coming on-board only half-way through 2025, he might get to wear the new jersey just a couple times. Although he himself hopes that he'll have more than few chances to reminiscent. "It would be a shame if I could only ride a few races in that new outfit. The talks for contract extension are ongoing and I hope that we can come to clarity soon. If it were up to me, I would stay with this team."