Wilco Kelderman continued his excellent showing in the Giro d'Italia when he sprinted to fourth in today's eleventh stage of the race. Known as a TT specialist, the young Dutchman aims at the white jersey in tomorrow's time trial.

Wilco Kelderman moved up a spot in the general classification of the Giro d'Italia today. The team leader of the Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM placed fourth in the sprint behind solo stage winner, Michael Rogers (Tinkoff-Saxo). He jumped to seventh after Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) crashed and lost time.

“It was a long day, but certainly not a boring one,” said Kelderman. “All day, the pace was very high and that kept me from getting bored. In the final, I still felt good and since my sprints are going well this Giro, I wanted to get in the mix. I would’ve liked to take some bonus seconds, but I’m happy with fourth. It’s a good result.” 

Kelderman’s ability to sprint surprised him given nearly two weeks of racing has passed.

“I didn’t expect that. The final climb went smoothly, as well. I hope that I can hold on to this so that I can start the tough final week with a lot of confidence.” 

Sports Director Jan Boven said that he felt content after the 11th stage.

“The goal was to stay safe and not lose time with Wilco, and we succeeded. That’s also thanks to the team. Again, they did a great job in supporting Wilco. I’m really enthusiastic about the spirit within the squad. It’s very nice to see. The boys give everything they have for Wilco, who keeps giving back by bagging good results.” 

The Giro’s cyclists face the first individual test of the race tomorrow after already competing as a team in Belfast. The stage runs 41.9 kilometres from Barbaresco to Barolo and takes in two climbs, one fourth category.

“It’s a very important day,” said Kelderman. “I’ve already been thinking about this stage for a couple of days and wherever I could, I tried to save energy.

“Hopefully, I can pull in some of the riders who are ahead of me in the GC. I also would like to make a bid for the young rider’s jersey.” 

The difference between Kelderman and Rafal Majka, Tinkoff-Saxo’s man in white, is 34 seconds. Last year, the 23-year-old Dutchman wore the jersey for two days. He ended up third in the classification.