"He is ready, and we are ready" - Mattias Skjelmose over injury concerns ahead of 2024 World Championship road race

The Danish charge for the Rainbow Jersey is set to be led by former national champion Mattias Skjelmose in the men's elite road race at the 2024 World Championships in Switzerland next weekend. After recent injury concerns, Skjelmose is now "right where he needs to be" according to his national coach.

Despite concerns initially after Skjelmose abandoned the Tour de Luxembourg, both Lidl-Trek and the Danish national team moved quickly to put to bed any fears of a potential World Championship impact. Now, with the road race just days away, Danish coach Anders Lund has provided an update on his team leader's condition, in conversation with Ekstra Bladet.

"I'm just going to talk to him today to follow up on the whole thing. But yesterday (Sunday, ed.) he sent me a training file where he had ridden 264 kilometres at an average speed of 42 per hour," the coach says optimistically. "So he is where he needs to be. He is ready, and we are ready."

Sadly for the Danes though, Skjelmose isn't the only member of the team battling injury concerns. Andreas Kron also had to leave the Tour de Luxembourg prematurely recently and is still not quite back to his best, although Kron is still expected to start next weekend. Since the individual time trial in Luxembourg, he has had a bit of pain in his back. So he took off on Sunday in order not to provoke it further and to be completely ready for the World Championship. He is undergoing some treatment for his back, but his form is good and he is full of confidence," Lund says of Kron's current condition. "Of course, the back has to be completely under control, but he also stopped in Luxembourg to give it peace. Now he is receiving treatment, and then he will be ready."