Kelderman thinks of late attack with stage in sight in dauphiné final stage

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Kelderman

Wilco Kelderman sees opportunities to try something in the final stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné on Sunday. The rider of BORA-hansgrohe as number four of the classification still has a full view of the podium.

The penultimate ride of the WorldTour race was won by Mark Padun on Saturday, while Richie Porte took the yellow leader’s jersey. Kelderman expects INEOS Grenadiers, Porte’s team, to start checking the course on Sunday.

“It’s going to be a matter for me at first to hook up,” Kelderman looks ahead to the final stage, in which, among other things, the Joux Plane (outer category) must be conquered. “But if the legs are good, I might try something at the end.”

Kelderman had to pass on Saturday when Porte accelerated on the final climb to La Plagne. “But after that I felt really good. I tried a few times, but it was hard to get a hole. After that, I just waited for the riders of Astana (of the dethroned leader Alexey Lutsenko, red) to ride at pace.” (Kelderman)

Thirty-year-old Kelderman eventually kept the damage under restraint. He finished 12th and dropped from third to fourth place in the standings. His deficit in the standings at Porte is 33 seconds.

“Wilco looked strong today, only there were a lot of riders who only looked at him,” says bora-hansgrohe sports director Enrico Poitschke. “But the differences in the ranking are still small, so tomorrow everything is possible.”

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