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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
