LottoNl-Jumbo rider loses 1:45 in incident on descent
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Wilco Kelderman gets a push from his team after rolling a tire on the descent during stage 8 at the Tour de France.(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Wilco Kelderman and George Bennett wait for help from the team car during stage 8 at the Tour de France(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Wilco Kelderman and George Bennett wait for help from the team car during stage 8 at the Tour de France(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Wilco Kelderman gets help from his team after rolling a tire on the descent during stage 8 at the Tour de France.(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
George Bennett waits for a wheel change after giving his front wheel to Wilco Kelderman during stage 8 at the Tour de France.(Image credit: Courtesy of Polartec-Kometa)
Wilco Kelderman (LottoNl-Jumbo) suffered a nasty crash on the descent from the Col de Val Louron d'Azet on stage 8 of the Tour de France, sliding out suddenly in a fast turn when his front tyre came off the rim.
The rider and his teammate George Bennett, who stopped to help Kelderman, were quick to absolve the mechanics of responsibility for the wreck, saying the extreme heat on the stage caused the glue holding the tyre to the rim to fail.
"We're riding on very small climbing wheels," Bennett said. "It looked like Wilco's wheels were so hot that his tube loosened. The glue was totally melted and I burned my hands on it when I grabbed the wheel."
Kelderman agreed with his teammate.
"It was hot today and you have to brake on a lot during the descents," Kelderman said. "The glue on your tyre gets very hot and there's a chance that it gets loose. I'm fed up that it happened to me. Everything went very well until that moment. I didn't lose too much time, but I have a lot of abrasions. This is very annoying."
Kelderman slipped three spots down on the overall classification, losing 1:45 to stage winner and new race leader Chris Froome (Sky). He is now 16th overall at 1:55.
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