Jumbo-Visma have had a glorious day at the
Tour de France today but it had it's obstacles.
Wilco Kelderman and
Jonas Vingegaard stopped completely at the Col de la Loze because of a stopped car, the Dutchman tells the crazy experience - which has not prevented the team from succeeding in it's mission.
"You see that it is so tight and when there are so many spectators and it is so steep, an engine stops and the car cannot pass. Everything was full," Kelderman told NOS. After joining the day's breakaway together with Tiesj Benoot, Kelderman didn't have the legs to keep up with the best on the Col de la Loze, and eventually waited for his leader, who had in the meantime dropped the rest of the competition - including Tadej Pogacar who had dramatically dropped.
Kelderman was riding together with the Dane who was expanding his lead, whilst with less than two kilometers to the summit of the climb, a combination of the brutal gradients and thousands of fans, led an organization car to stop on the road. The duo had to put a foot down, another shocking moment on the highest ascent of the Tour.
"I was just able to find a hole, but you have to get back into your pedals. You don't normally experience something like that, this was really crazy," he details. Eventually his task was soon over as Vingegaard continued his run up the climb, Kelderman could take it easy within circumstances, ending a successful day for the Dutch team.