"He told me he wasn't feeling well": Mattias Skjelmose takes over as leader after Vingegaard's withdrawal

Jonas Vingegaard's long-awaited return to international competition after his historic victory at the Vuelta a Espana was cut short at the European Road Championships. The cyclist, who started as one of the big stars of the event, could not keep up with the pace of the peloton and was forced to retire before the race entered its decisive phase.

Fellow teammate and one-day event specialist Mattias Skjelmose witnessed Vingegaard's problems firsthand:

"He told me he wasn't feeling well, and I tried to motivate him, reminding him that we were all suffering. I insisted that he should continue, because sometimes after two days of carbo-loading, the legs can feel heavy until the body is fully activated," Skjelmose told the press after the race.

However, neither the motivation nor the experience of the young talent was enough to prevent the champion from retiring, who abandoned with half the race still to go.

Despite the emotional blow of losing his leader, Skjelmose took the lead with determination and managed to finish seventh. "Right now I'm riding on reserves," he confessed exhausted in the finish area.

The Dane admitted that the pace imposed from the start by teams like Belgium pushed him to the limit: "I wasn't feeling quite right, but I knew I had to keep going when they attacked. It wasn't the most entertaining race, but I was feeling good and so I tried to keep up with Toms (Skuijns) until the penultimate lap."

Latvian Skuijns, teammate at Lidl-Trek, managed to finish fifth, just ahead of Skjelmose's goal: "My goal was to be in the top 5, and it really wasn't that far away. Toms made it, and we were together until the last climb. It's frustrating, but I didn't have the legs for more," he admitted honestly.

The collective spirit of the Danish team was also reflected in the toughest moments of the course. In a particularly demanding section, Skjelmose lost contact with the group, but was helped by teammates Casper Pedersen and Niklas Larsen.

"I got a bit stuck in a narrow section with lots and lots of spectators. Casper helped me get back to the group, and then Niklas completed the job. It was an ideal situation to have them available. We all had a great race, especially Niklas. He's 'only' a continental rider, but the level he showed was impressive," Skjelmose noted.

Niklas Larsen impressed with a podium result in the time trial earlier this week and was earlier confirmed to be heading to Unibet Tietema Rockets in 2026. This will be a return to professional ranks for the 28-year-old who spent five years with Uno-X before stepping down to continental level this season.