"He told me he wasn't feeling well": Mattias Skjelmose takes over as leader after Vingegaard's withdrawal
Cycling
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.
Skjelmose, the best Dane of the day
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."
Mattias Skjelmose covered many kilometers together with Toms Skujins at the European Championships 2025
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.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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