Wilco Kelderman will not start stage 4 of the 2026 Giro d’Italia, with Team Visma | Lease a Bike confirming that the Dutch rider is still dealing with the effects of a crash earlier in the race.
The team announced the update on the morning of stage 4, saying Kelderman would leave the race after continuing to feel the impact of his fall from a couple of days earlier. No specific injury has been confirmed, but the decision removes an important support rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike before the race has reached its decisive mountain phase.
Kelderman withdrawn before stage 4
Team Visma | Lease a Bike confirmed the news in a short medical update.
“Unfortunately, Wilco Kelderman will not start stage 4 of the Giro d’Italia following his crash a couple of days ago, as he is still experiencing lingering effects from the crash,” the team said.
The wording suggests the decision has been taken with recovery in mind rather than because of a newly announced injury. Still, losing a rider of Kelderman’s experience this early in a Giro d’Italia is a clear setback.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike lose key support rider
Kelderman’s withdrawal is significant because of the role he usually plays in three-week races. He is not simply a domestique who sits in the bunch until the road rises. At his best, he gives Team Visma | Lease a Bike depth in the mountains, calmness in difficult race situations and experience when the race becomes more tactical.
In a Giro squad built around overall ambitions, that kind of rider is valuable. Kelderman can protect leaders through awkward terrain, help control medium mountain stages and remain useful deep into longer climbs. His absence means the remaining riders will need to absorb more of that work as the race moves deeper into Italy.
The timing also makes the loss more frustrating. Stage 4 is still early in the race, but the opening days of a Grand Tour are often where small injuries, crashes and fatigue begin to shape the bigger story. For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, this is an early reduction in support at a point when keeping the full squad intact would have been the priority.
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Photo Credit: RCS
Recovery now the priority
Kelderman will now turn his attention to recovering from the crash, with no return date confirmed by the team. The fact he continued after the initial incident suggests there was an attempt to remain in the race, but the lingering effects have proved too significant to carry on.
For Team Visma | Lease a Bike, the Giro continues with one fewer rider and less margin for error across the rest of the three weeks. For Kelderman, the immediate focus is no longer the race, but making sure the effects of the crash are properly managed before he returns to competition.
