For Wilco Kelderman, it was all about survival in today's stage of the Giro d'Italia and so the Dutchman was pleased to see that it developed into a pretty slow affair. With the Giro already in the legs, the holder of the white jersey admits that he prefers to ride steadily instead of riding with a lot of intensity.

The heat caused additional suffering in the third stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné today. Temperatures of almost 40°C couldn’t break Wilco Kelderman, however. The leader of the Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM finished safely in the pack to retain his third place in the overall and his lead in the youth classification. 

Giant-Shimano rider Nikias Arndt sprinted to win the 194-kilometre ride from Ambert to Le Teil. Lars Boom placed 14th and was the Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM’s best rider of the day. 
 

Headwinds made sure that the bunch arrived considerably later than the slowest schedule time predicted. 

“But the heat was the biggest problem,” said Sports Director Erik Dekker. “Initially, the temperature was pretty enjoyable, but during the final, it was 38 degrees. The peloton was in pain. Some of our men were dropped in the end. One time, I tried to bring over some water bottles to the men, but it took almost half an hour as 200 men needed water.” 
 

Kelderman felt fine during the stage.

“It was warm all day and it was on and off all the time, but not much actually happened. Today, I wanted to stay out of trouble and I succeeded.

“It was hot! We had a lot of headwind so it's been a long day on the bike but that was actually better for me as I already have the Giro in the legs and I prefer to ride slowly now than intensely. But the heat added to the wind made it a really hard race. Anyway, I enjoy wearing the white jersey and I hope to keep it till the end.”

There are opportunities for the Belkin Pro Cycling TEAM tomorrow to escape. Kelderman needs to pay attention, says Dekker.

“The top of the final second category climb is situated at twelve kilometres from the line. Therefore, I don’t think a lot of teams will try to keep the peloton in check. An escape has a good chance of staying clear. Wilco must stay focussed on and after the final climb. Vincenzo Nibali is good in the downhill, you know."