Replacing Kelderman will be the always reliable
Sepp Kuss. "Sepp Kuss will take Wilco's place. Very few riders can ride with the best as a domestique. We put Sepp in that category. He can be a decisive factor in the high mountains. With Sepp, Primoz has an absolute top domestique who can stand by him for a long time," says Heijboer, clarifying his decision. "He has already demonstrated this several times during the Tour and the Vuelta. They are a good duo. Although losing Wilco is undoubtedly a setback, we'll be as strong with Sepp."
So after his Giro disappointment, what does the remainder of the campaign have in store for the 32-year-old Kelderman? "The good thing for him is that the time pressure is off for a while. We didn't want to put extra pressure on him by making it a race against the clock," says Heijboer. "That implies that he has all the time necessary to recover and pursue new goals. To prepare for the Tour of Switzerland, he will join the Sierra Nevada training camp in May."