Teams & Riders The official Wilco Kelderman is the new Merckx-thread

[Duartista]

Slagter actually wasn't very far back on the previous climb, he was the first guy to return in the descent.

Was he? That's impressive. He seems to be relatively unheralded compared to the other young Dutch talents.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

Slagter actually wasn't very far back on the previous climb, he was the first guy to return in the descent.

that was ten dam. and quintana finished a whopping 10 seconds behind slagter on the 4% climb. so not much difference

 

[theyoungest]

that was ten dam. and quintana finished a whopping 10 seconds behind slagter on the 4% climb. so not much difference

Ten Dam and Slagter returned practically together... and Slagter had been on the attack for the entire final climb.

If you're nitpicking, do it right.

Was he? That's impressive. He seems to be relatively unheralded compared to the other young Dutch talents.

That will probably change after the Vuelta (I hope )

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

yeah and slagter really blew, as did ten dam on the final climb. he finished even behind atapuma who ten dam had dropped moments before. it was a very weird final climb/race

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

10th in the tour Avenir is impressive. He will have a good chance this year then. Should be up against a bunch of Colombians. However the dutch mafia better dont have too high hopes of him winning a tour in the future. When was the last time a Dutch rider won the tour?? Way back in the 70s I think.

Wrong. 1980 Zoetemelk

 

[Jakob747]

Well, then we can change the thread title to "Wilco Kelderman is the new Robert Gesink"

Toms Skujins certainly seems to be a big allround talent... he pops up in the results of mountain stages, and in the Tour of Flanders U23, if I remember correctly. What's his main strength? (climbing, I assume)

Toms is indeed a phenomenal all-rounder. He original started out doing MTB but switched to road-racing shortly after turning 15 years of age back in June 2006.

It’s so popular to give riders stamps now a day - for example Matxin of Geox often refers to Fabio Felline as the next/new Paolo Bettini (I can see why).

If I had to put a stamp on Toms I would label him the next/new Michele Bartoli. Toms really excels on cobbles and Ardennes type of climbs. He also possesses that explosive kick uphill; he is truly excellent at accelerating. He could be one of those rare breeds who could compete in every race on the calendar from Het Nieuwsblad until Liege-Bastogne-Liege (Ideally).

It’s true that in top-form he rides strongly in the mountains as well. In Tour du Gévaudan-Languedoc-Roussillon last year he weighed in at 68 kilograms. On stage one, they finished on-top of Mout-Aigoual, which is a 20+ kilometer long climb but not very steep and with some flat sections in between. Toms finished 6th, which was an accomplishment since he was starving from not eating enough during the day and where suffering all 20+ kilometers uphill. If he had eaten enough he would have stayed with Kelderman without a doubt. Not Coppel and Levarlet though. On stage two the visit to Mende (Montée Jalabert), he got excited sitting right there with Coppel etc. and opened the show with 1k to go. It gets very steep towards the end so he faded a little in the final few hundred meters and got overtaken and finished 5th as a result.

Last year in Norway (Norsk Sykle Festival) he won 4 out of 5 stages. The first was a mountain-stage. The second was a criterium. The third was criterium with a hill-top finish. The fourth was a TT and the fifth was a pancake flat road race. He won the first 3 stages chocked a bit on the TT before winning the final road-race.

In Tour de Moselle last year on the queen stage, he and Bart de Clercq put 1miniut into the field at the finish. Toms took the two-up sprint without any difficulties; de Clercq however won the final GC due to a better TT.

Toms next goal is Volta a Portugal. Right now he weighs 72kg though, so we will have to see how it goes. He just came back from a 10 day altitude camp and was feeling better every day that went by. He will try go for GC, but if it proves impossible he will lose time on purpose and go for stages instead.

His big goal for this season is Tour de l'Avenir anyway. I believe so it is for Kelderman btw.

I’m sorry for hijacking the thread a little; I just wanted to answer your question. In terms of Kelderman as I said, he really looks like something special. Gesink, Kruijswijk, Mollema, Kelderman - Netherlands are knee-deep in talent. One must not forget Niek Van Geffen either, he has had an outstanding first season in Spain so far – leading the Torneo Lehendakari etc. Wonderful climber. Completely incapable of changing pace uphill as well ha-ha (Due to his tall frame) but wow he is strong!

 

[boomcie]

One must not forget Niek Van Geffen either, he has had an outstanding first season in Spain so far – leading the Torneo Lehendakari etc. Wonderful climber. Completely incapable of changing pace uphill as well ha-ha (Due to his tall frame) but wow he is strong!

Thanks, I "forgot" about him.

 

[Ferminal]

p.s. Last year someone showed a site that had a lot of info about the cycling talents in the world. It also had a top50 of young talent.

I had it bookmarked, but my PC died a few months ago so I lost it. If someone knows what I'm talking about then please give me a link.
Any other sites about U23 cycling are always welcome.

We had a thread on it last year, maybe you can try searching for it ("Top 50 under 23" or something like that). Someone will post a link soon enough anyway!

 

[FF'Wilco]

http://www.cycling4fans.de/index.php?id=5128

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

Toms is indeed a phenomenal all-rounder. He original started out doing MTB but switched to road-racing shortly after turning 15 years of age back in June 2006.

It’s so popular to give riders stamps now a day - for example Matxin of Geox often refers to Fabio Felline as the next/new Paolo Bettini (I can see why).

If I had to put a stamp on Toms I would label him the next/new Michele Bartoli. Toms really excels on cobbles and Ardennes type of climbs. He also possesses that explosive kick uphill; he is truly excellent at accelerating. He could be one of those rare breeds who could compete in every race on the calendar from Het Nieuwsblad until Liege-Bastogne-Liege (Ideally).

It’s true that in top-form he rides strongly in the mountains as well. In Tour du Gévaudan-Languedoc-Roussillon last year he weighed in at 68 kilograms. On stage one, they finished on-top of Mout-Aigoual, which is a 20+ kilometer long climb but not very steep and with some flat sections in between. Toms finished 6th, which was an accomplishment since he was starving from not eating enough during the day and where suffering all 20+ kilometers uphill. If he had eaten enough he would have stayed with Kelderman without a doubt. Not Coppel and Levarlet though. On stage two the visit to Mende (Montée Jalabert), he got excited sitting right there with Coppel etc. and opened the show with 1k to go. It gets very steep towards the end so he faded a little in the final few hundred meters and got overtaken and finished 5th as a result.

Last year in Norway (Norsk Sykle Festival) he won 4 out of 5 stages. The first was a mountain-stage. The second was a criterium. The third was criterium with a hill-top finish. The fourth was a TT and the fifth was a pancake flat road race. He won the first 3 stages chocked a bit on the TT before winning the final road-race.

In Tour de Moselle last year on the queen stage, he and Bart de Clercq put 1miniut into the field at the finish. Toms took the two-up sprint without any difficulties; de Clercq however won the final GC due to a better TT.

Toms next goal is Volta a Portugal. Right now he weighs 72kg though, so we will have to see how it goes. He just came back from a 10 day altitude camp and was feeling better every day that went by. He will try go for GC, but if it proves impossible he will lose time on purpose and go for stages instead.

His big goal for this season is Tour de l'Avenir anyway. I believe so it is for Kelderman btw.

I’m sorry for hijacking the thread a little; I just wanted to answer your question. In terms of Kelderman as I said, he really looks like something special. Gesink, Kruijswijk, Mollema, Kelderman - Netherlands are knee-deep in talent. One must not forget Niek Van Geffen either, he has had an outstanding first season in Spain so far – leading the Torneo Lehendakari etc. Wonderful climber. Completely incapable of changing pace uphill as well ha-ha (Due to his tall frame) but wow he is strong!

thanks for that, he had some decent results this year.
Just curious if any bigger teams have shown much interest in him?

 

[Ruudz0r]

Toms is indeed a phenomenal all-rounder. He original started out doing MTB but switched to road-racing shortly after turning 15 years of age back in June 2006.

It’s so popular to give riders stamps now a day - for example Matxin of Geox often refers to Fabio Felline as the next/new Paolo Bettini (I can see why).

If I had to put a stamp on Toms I would label him the next/new Michele Bartoli. Toms really excels on cobbles and Ardennes type of climbs. He also possesses that explosive kick uphill; he is truly excellent at accelerating. He could be one of those rare breeds who could compete in every race on the calendar from Het Nieuwsblad until Liege-Bastogne-Liege (Ideally).

It’s true that in top-form he rides strongly in the mountains as well. In Tour du Gévaudan-Languedoc-Roussillon last year he weighed in at 68 kilograms. On stage one, they finished on-top of Mout-Aigoual, which is a 20+ kilometer long climb but not very steep and with some flat sections in between. Toms finished 6th, which was an accomplishment since he was starving from not eating enough during the day and where suffering all 20+ kilometers uphill. If he had eaten enough he would have stayed with Kelderman without a doubt. Not Coppel and Levarlet though. On stage two the visit to Mende (Montée Jalabert), he got excited sitting right there with Coppel etc. and opened the show with 1k to go. It gets very steep towards the end so he faded a little in the final few hundred meters and got overtaken and finished 5th as a result.

Last year in Norway (Norsk Sykle Festival) he won 4 out of 5 stages. The first was a mountain-stage. The second was a criterium. The third was criterium with a hill-top finish. The fourth was a TT and the fifth was a pancake flat road race. He won the first 3 stages chocked a bit on the TT before winning the final road-race.

In Tour de Moselle last year on the queen stage, he and Bart de Clercq put 1miniut into the field at the finish. Toms took the two-up sprint without any difficulties; de Clercq however won the final GC due to a better TT.

Toms next goal is Volta a Portugal. Right now he weighs 72kg though, so we will have to see how it goes. He just came back from a 10 day altitude camp and was feeling better every day that went by. He will try go for GC, but if it proves impossible he will lose time on purpose and go for stages instead.

His big goal for this season is Tour de l'Avenir anyway. I believe so it is for Kelderman btw.

I’m sorry for hijacking the thread a little; I just wanted to answer your question. In terms of Kelderman as I said, he really looks like something special. Gesink, Kruijswijk, Mollema, Kelderman - Netherlands are knee-deep in talent. One must not forget Niek Van Geffen either, he has had an outstanding first season in Spain so far – leading the Torneo Lehendakari etc. Wonderful climber. Completely incapable of changing pace uphill as well ha-ha (Due to his tall frame) but wow he is strong!

Thanks indeed really liked reading this, but I do have a lot of interest in new guys entering the pro ranks anyway. Like Timmy said Im also interested if he is already talking to some teams?

 

[Jakob747]

Absolutely. Several teams have shown their interest and we are currently going through our options.

One of our options however is for Toms to take another year at U23/Continental level. Toms only turned twenty last month and one of the main priorities is that he doesn’t burn out! At La Pomme Marseille they also have a flat hierarchy policy within the team, which certainly is beneficial for a young rider coming through the ranks.

It’s also natural he is a little bit heavier this season compeered to last year. This season he has been doing relative big races and taking on some muscle. If he is able to “cut” a little, he should be fine for the climbs in L'Avenir.

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

I certainly think it is better for riders to take thier time in makng the jump to the pro ranks. Guess it comes

I thought matthews, sagan, and now kelderman were all making the jump pretty early, but I suppose it was a case of rabo and liqui not wanting to lose out on signing them. Of course matthews and sagan have both proved themselves already in the pro rabks, to some extent anyway.

Guess it comes down to the individual rider.
Good luck with Toms anyway, has some real potential.

 

[Kopuliak]

I certainly think it is better for riders to take thier time in makng the jump to the pro ranks. Guess it comes

I thought matthews, sagan, and now kelderman were all making the jump pretty early, but I suppose it was a case of rabo and liqui not wanting to lose out on signing them. Of course matthews and sagan have both proved themselves already in the pro rabks, to some extent anyway.

Guess it comes down to the individual rider.
Good luck with Toms anyway, has some real potential.

If we are talking about young talents, some results of Sagan this season so far :

2.1 Giro di Sardegna
Stage1(flat) 1st
Stage2(mountain) 4th
Stage3(hilly) 1st
Stage4(hilly-flat) 1st
Stage5(mountain) 4th
Final general clas. 1st

HIS Paris – Nice
Stage1(rolling) 4th
Stage2(flat) 5th
DNF

2.HC Tour of California
Stage2(hilly-flat) 2nd
Stage3(rolling) 4th
Stage5(hilly) 1st
Stage8(hilly) 2nd
Final point clas. 1st

PT Tour de Suisse
Stage1(ITT) 3rd
Stage3(mountain) 1st
Stage4(rolling) 2nd
Stage5(rolling) 3rd
Stage8(lumpy) 1st
Final point clas. 1st

Good luck for all of them.

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Pfft Lucien van Impe should have won a second time and Michel Pollentier could have won as well

And Joopke only won because Hinault dropped out

Cadel only won because Gesink fell

Btw for a Belgian, you don't react like a Belgian. You act and react exactly as a Dutchman would do, especially those from Amsterdam. Arrogant, above all others.

 

[Ryo Hazuki]

that's probably why he's a fan of contador and gilbert and not the devolders etc. must be hard living in a country that doesn't really feel as your home (pilsudski ruben?)

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Cadel only won because Gesink fell

Btw for a Belgian, you don't react like a Belgian. You act and react exactly as a Dutchman would do, especially those from Amsterdam. Arrogant, above all others.

Ever been to Antwerp?

As for his response, seems more like misplaced Calimero behaviour to me.

that's probably why he's a fan of contador and gilbert and not the devolders etc. must be hard living in a country that doesn't really feel as your home (pilsudski ruben?)

I don't think Devolder has many fans in Belgium. He has to be the biggest whiner of the entire peleton, always looking for excuses. He does have a big mouth though. Still waiting for him to get on the podium of the TDF... lol

 

[theyoungest]

If we are talking about young talents, some results of Sagan this season so far :

2.1 Giro di Sardegna
Stage1(flat) 1st
Stage2(mountain) 4th
Stage3(hilly) 1st
Stage4(hilly-flat) 1st
Stage5(mountain) 4th
Final general clas. 1st

HIS Paris – Nice
Stage1(rolling) 4th
Stage2(flat) 5th
DNF

2.HC Tour of California
Stage2(hilly-flat) 2nd
Stage3(rolling) 4th
Stage5(hilly) 1st
Stage8(hilly) 2nd
Final point clas. 1st

PT Tour de Suisse
Stage1(ITT) 3rd
Stage3(mountain) 1st
Stage4(rolling) 2nd
Stage5(rolling) 3rd
Stage8(lumpy) 1st
Final point clas. 1st

Good luck for all of them.

Thanks. What's your point?

Cadel only won because Gesink fell

Btw for a Belgian, you don't react like a Belgian. You act and react exactly as a Dutchman would do, especially those from Amsterdam. Arrogant, above all others.

He's not really arrogant. Just obnoxious.

 

[Kopuliak]

Thanks. What's your point?

maybe not to start new topic about another rookie rider ?

 

[Timmy-loves-Rabo]

was a joke / semi serious thread.
anyway it could very well have been in a young talent thread, but there are a lot of dutch posters whom hold him in high regard. There has been discussion and also resulted in discussion of other youngsters so it isn't such a problem. Or we could make another.. Contador or Evans or Sky thread. Woo.

And btw Sagan is in his 2nd pro year etc.

 

[theyoungest]

maybe not to start new topic about another rookie rider ?

Peter Sagan got his share of threads when he just hit the scene...

 

[Kopuliak]

Peter Sagan got his share of threads when he just hit the scene...

ah well understand, I'm new here.I can delete that post.

 

[Moondance]

You act and react exactly as a Dutchman would do, especially those from Amsterdam. Arrogant, above all others.

Hmmm.. Better an arrogant Amsterdammer (Thomas Dekker excepted) than someone from Limbabwe

 

[El Pistolero]

that's probably why he's a fan of contador and gilbert and not the devolders etc. must be hard living in a country that doesn't really feel as your home (pilsudski ruben?)

I actually don't care where I live. Doesn't make a difference to me if my country would be called Belgium, Flanders, EU or Turkmenistan. But I do not suffer from a Calimero complex just because I live in a small country no.

The degree of a country's civilization does not depend upon the extent of its land; the intelligence of its people does not depend upon the extend of its territory- Sofu Kohei Berugikoku-shi

 

[Dekker_Tifosi]

Wilco is currently racing in Alsace where he won last year. Not much hope in repeating that since this is the first race since a rest period, and unlike last year he is now nowhere near top form.

Still, he finished the first difficult stage (2nd stage), won by Niels Albert btw (!), in the first group of 40 riders.