Wilco Kelderman secured the Dutch national road race championship on June 28, 2026, with a commanding solo performance on the hilly circuit around Nijmegen.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider crossed the finish line alone, marking his first professional victory in 11 years and his first-ever win in a traditional road race.
Bauke Mollema finished second, nearly one and a half minutes behind, while Jochem Kerckhaert of BEAT CC surprised with a third-place finish after sprinting from the chasing group.
Race Dynamics
The 160.5-kilometer race consisted of 15 laps of a 10.7-kilometer circuit, featuring 2,672 meters of climbing primarily on the Van Randwijckweg and Oude Holleweg ascents.
An elite breakaway formed early, including Kelderman, Mollema, Tibor Del Grosso, Mike Teunissen, Cees Bol, and Frank van den Broek, later expanding to 14 riders.
After several counter-attacks from the peloton, Kelderman launched his decisive move with roughly 65 kilometers remaining, escaping from the lead group.
He was joined by Tim Marsman and Darren van Bekkum, building a solid advantage before dropping his final companion with 27 kilometers to go, riding the last two laps entirely alone.
