More than five years since Wilco Kelderman last won a bicycle race, the Dutchman is six days and 15 seconds away from winning the overall Giro d'Italia. Team Sunweb's show of force on stage 15 in Piancavallo brought an unexpected favorite to the unpredictable Giro. On Monday's rest day, Kelderman was reluctant to wear pink in Milan.

"I would love to get the pink jersey, but I still have a hard week ahead of me. I don't want to think too far ahead. That way I won't be too nervous. Kelderman cut Joao Almeida's (Deceuninck-Quickstep) overall lead to 15 seconds this weekend.

He is also more than three minutes ahead of Vincenzo Nibali (Trek-Segafredo) and Rafal Mayka (Bora-Hansgrohe), who struggled on Sunday.

"Almeida is strong. The rest are pretty far away, but we have to watch out for riders like Nibali and Mayka in the hard mountain stages that are coming up," Kelderman added.

In the toughest mountain stage of the competition, the Sunweb team led by Kelderman caught the eye of Chris Hamilton at the base of Piancavallo and was replaced by Jai Hindley with 7km to go. Only Kelderman and stage winner Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) were able to follow the Australian.

Sunweb's offensive had been planned for more than a week, although it had been quietly publicized by the soft pedaling of Chad Haga and others in the Valdobbiadene time trial the day before. Luke Roberts told Cycling News on Monday that the team considered a similar attempt on stage 9, Roccaraso, but decided against it on the grounds that taking the overall lead in the dangerous second week would be too strenuous for the third week.

"There were a lot of intermediate stages last week, and if the other teams weren't interested in controlling the breakaway, they would be leading the pack.

"I had considered the possibility of taking the jersey in Roccaraso, but I targeted Piacavallo because it was right after the time trial for the GC contenders. After the time trial, I needed to gain 56 seconds on the pink jersey, so I needed to set it up yesterday. After the time trial, I needed to gain 56 seconds on the pink jersey.

The 29-year-old Kelderman has been touted as the favorite to win three weeks in a row since turning pro, but his relationship with the Grand Tour has been unfortunate over the years; although he finished fourth overall at the 2017 Vuelta a España, Kelderman was not listed as a top contender in this Giro from the start. He was able to admit that he was not one of the top contenders from the beginning of this Giro.

"My preparation for this Giro is going very well and I'm in better shape than ever," Kelderman said.

"It's to my advantage that Steven Kruijswijk, Geraint Thomas, and Simon Yates are already out of the Giro.

Two of the trio abandoned the Giro after testing positive for COVID-19, and Kelderman himself had his race compromised when teammate Michael Matthews tested positive for coronavirus on his first rest day.

Unlike Jumbo Visma, Sunweb opted to remain in the Giro, and the team's riders and staff faced repeated testing in the second week; on the second rest day, along with the entire Giro bubble, they were required to undergo further PCR testing.

"We have been tested every day at Sunweb for the past week and I think the situation is under control," Kelderman said. I'm confident I can continue in the Giro." "

No matter when or how it ends, the Giro will be Kelderman's last race as a Sunweb rider before he moves to Bora-Hansgrohe in 2021. The corsa rosa was on his schedule even before the coronavirus outbreak changed the calendar and determined his departure.

"We stuck with it after the schedule change, despite the late-season team changes," Roberts said. Roberts added, "For us, it's important to be able to work together in a professional manner. That shows in Wilco's performance."

Kelderman's days with the team are numbered, but the 24-year-old Hindley forms an important part of Sunweb's future. In his third year as a professional, he has been given the freedom to aim for a high overall finish in this Giro, and he has responded accordingly. Six days after the finish, he is in third place overall, 2:56 behind Almeida.

"Jai is a very dexterous bike racer. 'He's good on the climbs and can get around in a group. He's progressing well, but he's still in the development stage with the team. Last year he was second in the Tour de Pollogne, and this year he won the Saint-Tour.

So far, the work Hindley has done on Kelderman's behalf has helped rather than hindered his own overall ambitions. Whether that balance is still possible in the brutally tough final week, however, remains to be seen.

"You have to do what you have to do to secure a podium position and also make tactical moves to win the race.

"Some riders are three minutes behind. That sounds like a lot at this point, but not so much when you consider the stages that are still to come.