Dennis van Winden (Belkin)(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Maarten Wynants (Lotto-Jumbo) controlling the bunch(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
12-months Wilco Keldeman was a standout rider at the Critérium du Dauphiné, finishing fourth overall and winning the best young rider classification on the back of seventh at the Giro d'Italia. Kelderman makes his Tour de France debut in 2015 and will start this year's Dauphiné with his eye on July having just completed three weeks of altitude training in Sierra Nevada, Spain.
"Last year, the race was a like a desert for me, this time it's about preparation," Kelderman said. "That's different of course. I don't know how my shape is exactly, although I have been able to train properly in Spain. I'm aiming for a good result, but the most important thing is to end the race with a nice feeling. After the final stage, I still have three weeks before the start of the Tour. That is quite long."
Of the three stage races that Kelderman has started in 2015, his best result was ninth overall at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya in March which saw him claim the best young rider prize.
With Kelderman looking ahead to July, LottoNL-Jumbo's sport director Merijn Zeeman explained the other seven riders selected for the race are all capable of recording results in their own rights and will be given the freedom to do so.
"Mathieu Heijboer is our TT specialist and he will be present in the Dauphiné to make sure the preparation runs as smoothly as possible. This week we have TTT training scheduled in Holland as well."
