Wilco Kelderman breaks collarbone in training incident
Training crash for Dutch pro Wilco Kelderman leads to broken right collarbone
Dutch cyclist Wilco Kelderman broke his right collarbone while training on Sunday and underwent surgery to recover quickly for the 2015 season.
"[Kelderman] broke his right collarbone," his Belkin team wrote on Twitter. "The medical staff operated him yesterday, expected recovery is three weeks. Get well soon!"
The 23-year-old Dutchman joins Australian Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) on the recovery trail. Gerrans also broke his collarbone, his left one, mountain biking on Sunday and underwent surgery on Monday.
Kelderman rode Belkin's green colours to seventh overall in the Giro d'Italia, fourth in the Critérium du Dauphiné and 14th in the Vuelta a España stage races in 2014. He renewed his contract with Belkin in August for two years, through 2015 and 2016.
The Dutch WorldTour team changes its name from Belkin to Lotto NL-Jumbo for 2015. Instead of green, the cyclists will race in yellow. Kelderman is expected to help lead the team in the Tour de France with Robert Gesink and Laurens Ten Dam. After already having raced the Giro and Vuelta, it will be his first time to participate in France's Grand Tour.
With his fracture, he might not be able to race until late February. He could debut with Lotto NL in Portugal's Volta ao Algarve or wait until March to return at the Paris-Nice stage race.
His schedule is expected to include the Volta a Catalunya, the Amstel Gold Race, La Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de France.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Gregor Brown is an experienced cycling journalist, based in Florence, Italy. He has covered races all over the world for over a decade - following the Giro, Tour de France, and every major race since 2006. His love of cycling began with freestyle and BMX, before the 1998 Tour de France led him to a deep appreciation of the road racing season.