Having performed strongly in the Giro d'Italia and the Dauphiné, Wilco Kelderman was a strong top 10 candidate for the Vuelta a Espana. However, the Dutchman could only managed 14th which was a disappointment for the ambitious talent.

Wilco Kelderman finished inside the top 15 of the general classification of a grand tour for the second time this year. After his seventh place in the Giro d’Italia, the Dutchman of the Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM ended the Vuelta a España in 14th on Sunday. 

Kelderman set the 55th time in the 9.7-kilometre final time trial in Santiago de Compostela and moved up one spot in the overall that way. “

"It was very wet and slippery,” said the 23-year old rider. “On the straights, I was able to go as hard as I wanted, but still, rain is never beneficial for your time.” 
 

Stef Clement had hoped to get in the mix on Sunday but was left in the cold. Like Kelderman, he had to complete his time trial in rainy conditions, while the early starters were lucky to have dry conditions. Maarten Tjallingii was one of those riders. He finished 28th and was the fastest man in green and black. Clement ended the TT 52nd. 

“Ten seconds before my start, it started to rain," Clement said. "I did what I could, but already missed the first corner. On the straights I was able to push my watts, but in the corners I really lost a lot of time. It’s been dry the whole Vuelta and today, it rained. Well, things like that happen, unfortunately.” 
 

Kelderman looked back on the tour with mixed feelings.

“It’s been a slightly disappointing Vuelta. I wasn’t as good as hoped and suffered a lot. I can’t name any real highlights, but hopefully this race will make me stronger.” 

Laurens ten Dam finished the race 44th overall. He had hoped for more.

“It was a tough Vuelta. Just like in the Tour, I was there in the first mountain stage in, but after that I had some small problems. I’m really tired now. My season is done after today. I’ll enjoy a vacation and prepare for next year,” Ten Dam said ambitiously. 

Sports Director Erik Dekker was irritated by the weather on Sunday.

“That was a problem. Our strongest men rode in the rain. That’s not what you want of course. Fortunately, Wilco remained upright. It’s nice that he gained one spot.” 

“A lot has happened”, said Dekker, looking back on the Vuelta. “We’ve had some bad luck with Robert Gesink. He had to leave the race as seventh overall, but hopefully his wife is fine. That’s the most important thing. We always focused on our chances. We tried to win a stage, but unfortunately that did not work out."