Wilco Kelderman leads Danish tour after winning stage-5 ITT
The Belkin rider has just six seconds over Lars Bak with a single stage remaining
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Wilco Kelderman (Belkin) took over the yellow jersey in the Tour of Denmark after winning the second of two stages on Saturday.
Kelderman won the 12.1km stage-5 individual time trial in Holbaek in 14 minutes and 35 seconds, just two seconds better than Timofey Kritskiy (Katusha) and three faster than Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling).
“I’m super happy,” said Kelderman, 22. “When I got off my bike, I knew I had the fastest time but I also knew a few quick men were still on their bikes. I really didn’t expect to win because I’m lightweight compared to them.
“My goal for the second half of the season was to win a race and it’s great because I succeeded here in Denmark. This is also my first professional victory. I’ve got all the jerseys in my possession — that’s a great bonus.”
Earlier Saturday, Magnus Cort Nielsen (Cult Energy) won stage 4, a 102.5km road race from Hoeng to Asnaes. Matti Breschel (Saxo-Tinkoff) finished ninth and moved into the overall lead.
But after the time trial it was Kelderman who stood atop the general classification with a six-second edge over Lars Bak (Lotto-Belisol) and 15 seconds on Breschel, who slipped to third.
The Tour of Denmark ends Sunday with a 165km stage from Roskilde to Frederiksberg.
Belkin sports director Michiel Elijzen said the team hopes to carry the leader’s jersey to the final podium.
“It could get exciting,” Elijzen said. “Maybe Bak is going to try and take some bonus seconds at the intermediate sprints and final sprint. However, we have a strong team and we can control the race.”