"That is out of the question" - One more rider is confirmed not to be part of Visma's Tour de France team

Team Visma | Lease a Bike have already announced their lineup for the Tour de France earlier this week, however Edoardo Affini's crash at the Italian national championships have brought forward the likely possibility of him being replaced. One thing is known for sure: It will not be Wilco Kelderman.

At the Dutch nationals, the veteran shared with Wielerflits: “I am definitely not going to the Tour. That is out of the question. I hadn't set my sights on it, nor was I perfectly prepared for it. There is someone else as a reserve.”

The team had previously lost Christophe Laporte and Wout van Aert, who were then replaced by Per Strand Hagenes and Davide Piganzoli respectively. After Affini's fall, which hasn't led to fractures but to meaningful pain, the likelihood of a new member being added to the lineup is likely.

Ben Tulett and Jorgen Nordhagen were the likely options, but the Dutch news outlet reported that Bart Lemmen wcould well be selected as well. This opened up the list of possibilities, in which several others could be considered.

Kelderman was definitely one. He was last part of the Tour in 2024 but performed very strongly with Jonas Vingegaard, whom he also planned on supporting at the Giro d'Italia. He began the race but crashed out in the first few days.

However his form has been built up quite well over the past month and he recently finished just outside the Top10 of the Tour de Suisse himself. But he did not undergo specific preparation for the Tour and is not one of the riders that is in the cards to be present, despite his many qualities.

This Sunday instead he aims for his first pro win since he won the time trial title already 11 years ago. “I want to be in the mix in the finale and ride a good race. We’ll see how it goes".

"“It is quite tricky with those cobblestones, descents, and speed bumps. It is not very safe. I hope that will be looked into more closely in the future, especially with such a large peloton," he concluded. "But it is a difficult course, so it suits me".