Wilco Kelderman claimed the Dutch national road race title on Sunday, June 28, 2026, with a solo breakaway on the challenging terrain around Nijmegen.
The 35-year-old Visma-Lease a Bike rider secured his first professional victory in eleven years.
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Speaking to NOS after the race, Kelderman expressed surprise at his performance. "This is a wonderful feeling.
It's been a long time since I last won a road race, I think since the U23 category.
I have won a time trial before, but never like this. It had to happen someday.
It doesn't always come so easily. This was the day," he said.
Early Attack and Solo Victory
Kelderman launched his attack early after assessing the peloton's dynamics. He initially escaped with Tim Marsman and Darren van Bekkum before dropping them on the climbs.
"It wasn't necessarily my plan to go so early.
I quickly noticed the race was hard to control and that it was better to be at the front.
So I decided to join the attack immediately. The cooperation wasn't great, so another group caught up.
I attacked again. You need to have the legs, and today I did," Kelderman explained.
He maintained his lead on the flat sections by pacing himself, entering the final lap with a 90-second gap.
"It's hard to say. You have to race smart and sit in.
On the climbs I could make the difference, and on the flat sections it's about holding your own pace," he added.
