Wilco Kelderman and Robert Gesink showed themselves during the first stage of the Vuelta Cyclist al Pais Vasco today. Kelderman attacked on the penultimate climb and Gesink gave it a try on the final ascent. The two weren’t able to hold Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana Pro Team) from winning the stage, however.

“It was nice to see that Wilco and Robert both tried to make a move,” Sports Director Addy Engels said. “Wilco missed the Volta a Catalunya because of his illness and this means that he’s feeling strong again. He didn’t start here with ambitions for the general classification and that doesn’t change after today’s race. He has to make sure that he comes through this race with a good feeling.”

Confidence

Kelderman added that he continued working quickly after he abandoned Catalunya. “I did some longer training sessions and felt good again quite quickly afterwards,” he said. “In the last days, I trained a little harder again. I’m approaching this race day by day. I went well today and when a group of riders attacked, I went with them. That went well, but we didn’t get enough space. That Robert and I were able to give it a try today gives us and the rest of the team some confidence.”

Aggressive
Gesink attacked on the final climb, but saw that Daniel Navarro (Cofidis) distanced him quickly afterwards. Navarro was able to stay out of the clutches of the peloton together with Sanchez and finished second.

“It’s a good sign anyway that Robert tried it on the final climb,” Engels added. “He didn’t just follow not to lose time, but chose to be aggressive. They face their first uphill finish in the race tomorrow. The final climb will be tough and the overall riders will be tested. We’ll know more after that stage.”