Wilco Kelderman abandoned the first stage of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya due to illness. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s overall hope was struggling with the pace of the peloton early in the race. Front man Robert Gesink came through the day without any problems. Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis) won the stage.

“It wasn’t a good day for us because of Wilco,” sports director Addy Engels said. “We were convinced of his chances to come through this stage this morning. He got sick a couple of days before, but it went well afterwards. He was struggling again this morning. During the stage, he was already in trouble early. Unfortunately, he wasn’t even able to follow the peloton when the pace wasn’t that high.”

Development

The Team LottoNL-Jumbo riders went for the race’s final without Kelderman. It was even tougher due to the bad weather. “The weather caused some stress and the profile was quite hard at that moment, as well,” Engels continued. “The team came through it without any problems. Koen Bouwman and Alexey Vermeuelen weren’t part of the first group, but this is their first WorldTour race, so they have to focus on their personal development.”

Robert Gesink came through the first day in Catalunya feeling well. “There is never an easy day at this level, but thanks to my team-mates, I was always in the right places at the right time,” he said. “We came through this tricky first day very well. It may look like a normal sprinters' stage with Bouhanni as the winner, but it definitely wasn’t.”

Wind

There’s another tough stage on the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya’s programme on Tuesday. “Valverde [Movistar] won this stage last year and the peloton was thinned more that day than today,” Engels said. “It depends on the wind, as well. The wind can make it trickier, but it’s also possible that the stage turns out the same way as today.”