Wilco Kelderman survived a hectic Paris-Nice stage one today that included gravel roads, wind and rain, and kept his eyes on the classification battle. Team LottoNL-Jumbo team-mate Sep Vanmarcke placed seventh from the first group of riders, led home by Arnaud Démare (FDJ).

The conditions left their mark on Monday, with the wind and rain breaking the group into echelons already 30 kilometres before the first gravel sector. “Wilco Kelderman had a flat tire, just before that moment,” sports director Frans Maassen explained. “That’s why we were a little too far back in the group. Wilco returned just in time to join Sep in the first group of 40 riders. That was the most important thing, actually.”

Priority
Not long afterwards, a big group of riders closed the gap. “The race started once again,” Maassen continued. “I was expecting more differences today. It was our priority to bring Wilco to the finish without any damage and the team worked hard, very hard, for that. You can lose heaps of time in stages like today’s, and sometimes that’s out of your control. Everything ended up quite well today.”

Kelderman didn’t fear today’s stage that many had considered dangerous beforehand. “I was looking forward to it, actually,” he added. “Anything can happen of course, but I wasn’t thinking about that at all. It’s the right mindset not to fear a stage like today’s, but that doesn’t come naturally. When you’re tired, especially in days like these, you can lose your focus. Everything went well today for me. I rode with confidence, partly thanks to the team being at such a high level.”

Bunch kick
Tuesday’s stage seems perfect for a bunch sprint. “When you look at the profile, it’s quite the same as today, but we don’t cross gravel sections,” Maassen said. “Tomorrow, the chances of a bunch kick are big, but the wind can play a role too.”