Wilco Kelderman finished second in the second stage of the Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco today. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s climber attacked on the final climb and had Mikel Landa (Team Sky) for company. The two held their lead and Landa won the sprint. Behind, Robert Gesink finished ninth.

In the final kilometres before the last climb, five riders from Team LottoNL-Jumbo were in front of the peloton. Besides Kelderman and Gesink, Paul Martens Enrico Battaglin and Bert-Jan Lindeman were there to support their front men.

“It was our target to do some kind of a lead-out to the final turn before the climb,” Sports Director Addy Engels said after the stage. “It went slightly downhill, so the pace was high. The men did their job perfectly. Everyone wants to be in front at that point, so that makes it even better that they succeeded.”

Own pace

Enrico Battaglin set the pace in the first part of the final climb and the first group exploded immediately afterwards. That was when Wilco Kelderman saw his chance to escape. “It was a very tough stage,” Kelderman said. “It was raining and we were riding on a plateau, so it was extra cold. Victor Campenaerts crashed in the beginning of the stage and I fell over him. That was annoying, but it didn’t change my goal. The final climb was steep, so I wanted to set my own pace, and I did. When Landa took the lead, I had to push myself immediately. He was a little stronger than me, unfortunately, but we did a good job as a team.”

General classification

Engels said after the first stage that Kelderman wasn’t aiming for the general classification, but he changed his mind today. “We know now that two of our riders are with the best, so we have to build our tactics with that in mind,” Engels added. “If you’re able to deliver this today, that means that you will be able to compete for a good result in the general classification, as well. It would be weird to say that Wilco isn’t looking for that. He has to keep on riding the way he does because that aggressive mindset works the best for him at the moment.”

The third stage normally isn’t one for the overall riders. “If Paul and Enrico are as strong as today during tomorrow’s stage, they will get a chance,” Engels said. “We’ll keep on aiming for a stage result as well this week.”