"From the start of the final climb I was empty. It was five long last kilometers" - Mattias Skjelmose loses a lot of time in general classification

Mattias Skjelmose suffered his way through the stage 6. The Dane fell early in the stage 5 and while he finished the stage in the group of Tadej Pogacar, the damage stacked up overnight and didn't allow the Lidl-Trek rider give it his best shot in the second day in Pyreneés.

"I'd like to blame it on the crash, but we'll never know if that was the case. I rode with back pain and was alone on the Tourmalet. On the descent I managed to get back to the peloton, but I had to go full throttle for that, while the rest could all rest and recharge. From the start of the final climb I was empty. It was five long last kilometers, I really suffered."

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Skjelmose already knew in the neutral phase towards the official start that it was going to be a tough day. Fellow countryman Vingegaard came by and warned him: "He said I had better prepare myself for a tough day and he kept that promise. It will be a long way to Paris if Jumbo-Visma keeps up this pace."

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PREVIEW | Tour de France 2023 stage 7 - Brutal heat and strong wind to make sprint day an all-out challenge