08/04/2023

Wilco Kelderman out of Giro d'Italia lineup as Jumbo-Visma announce Primoz Roglic's supporting group

Jumbo-Visma have began their Giro d'Italia preparations with an altitude training camp at Mount Teide. Absent from the group though is Wilco Kelderman who has been ruled out following a crash at Tirreno-Adriatico, and the lineup for the Corsa Rosa has been announced, revolving around the goals of Primoz Roglic.

"Wilco Kelderman was named Primoz Roglic's first lieutenant. Unfortunately, Wilco's crash in Tirreno-Adriatico has had the necessary consequences. He is currently not fit enough to take part in our altitude training," explains Jumbo-Visma Head of Performance Mathieu Heijboer. "This means that he will not be optimally prepared for the start of the Giro, so he will be replaced. A difficult decision, but the only right one. It's better to decide early than to find out too late that it won't work."

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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."