Wilco
Kelderman

Wilco finished 10^th in the Vuelta a España in 2018, a brilliant result despite an otherwise torrid year for the 27-year-old. After breaking his collarbone in Tirreno Adriatico, bending the existing plate, his shoulder was misaligned. He came back, racing to fifth overall at the Tour de Suisse, before crashing once again at the national road race championships.

After surgery and missing the Tour de France, he fought to get back to full fitness for the last grand tour of the year.

“I also suffered nerve damage in the first crash and that took a while to recover from, it was a really bad year, but I am happy now, and my body feels OK again.  This season I want to get back to a good level physically and get some consistency after all the injuries in 2018. There is still work to do and I am aiming for a good GC result in a grand tour.”

A previous winner of the Tour of Denmark, the Dutchman has also finished second in the Abu Dhabi Tour, fourth in the 2017 Vuelta a España, seventh in the 2014 Giro d’Italia and fourth in the 2014 Criterium du Dauphine.

He first found cycling as a means of cross-training alongside speed-skating, but always loved watching the sport on TV, enjoying the tactics. At the age of 12 he started racing and turned professional in 2012.

“I love the speed, the tactics and the freedom of cycling. Every day on a bike is different, speed skating compared is boring – you are always on the same track!”

Calm, focused and quiet, Wilco is about to embark on his third season with Team Sunweb.

“The team has a really strict performance plan and everything is so well organised. That is motivation for me to work towards my goals. There are no egos either, everyone is on the same level and we get on well. It’s about making each other better, growing and challenging each other.”