Kelderman, battling a cold, remains stuck with dubious record: "Plapp was too strong on the final climb"

Kelderman ultimately finished second, just under a minute behind, by outsprinting Diego Ulissi. So once again, no WorldTour victory for the Dutchman, but he could still look back on a strong stage. He was heavily involved in the battle to form the breakaway, which took a long time to establish, and he repeatedly forced breakthroughs in the race dynamics.

However, with about 45 kilometers to go, Kelderman was unable to respond to an attack from Plapp on a third-category climb. Chasing together with Ulissi and Igor Arrieta, he was no longer able to close the gap. In the sprint against Ulissi, Kelderman still managed to secure a respectable podium finish.

“I had a good day, but it was really tough,” Kelderman said shortly after the stage on Eurosport’s Kop over Kop. “I followed multiple moves in the opening phase, and that cost a lot of energy. You just hope to make it into the front group. In the end, Plapp was simply stronger,” the GC rider admitted in his analysis.

In an interview with another Eurosport journalist, Kelderman revealed that he’s not in perfect health at the moment. “I didn’t feel great this morning. I’m dealing with a cold. But once we hit the climbs, I actually felt a lot better. I gave it a shot and made it into a strong breakaway, which also included my teammate Dylan (Van Baarle, ed.).”

After the breakaway had formed, the front of the race remained constantly unsettled. There was a lack of cooperation, which led to several shifts in the race dynamics. As a result, it was a matter of reacting to attacks or taking the initiative. “The finale was tough and very chaotic. No one wanted to pull. In the end, Plapp was simply too strong on that final climb to follow.”

Shortly before Plapp's attack, Kelderman had created a gap. “There were six of us, and it was a good situation, but the others hesitated. So I tried it myself. But in the end, on a course like this, it's always the strongest who wins,” said Kelderman, adding that a different tactic likely wouldn’t have made a difference.