"I don’t like racing for a sixth place or a Top 10" - Can Toms Skujins make history for Latvia in Montréal
Cycling
In 2000, Romans Vainsteins shocked the cycling world to take the victory at the World Championships for Latvia. 26 years later, Toms Skujins finds an opening to bring the Eastern European nation back into the top of the cycling world.
"I’m not someone who will demand the team to ride for me. And a lot of times, it is to my advantage to have people look at my teammates as the leaders because then I can take the opportunity," Skujins shared with Cyclingnews.
A part of Lidl-Trek, the 35-year old is used to being in a domestique role, or to be given a free role in some of the days he feels better. Hence, he has gotten used to racing under the radar and taking advantage of it in the most timely moments.
"Realistically, I’m never going to be able to follow Tadej. For me to beat him, I need something interesting to happen. I need a situation that is out of the ordinary. And I don’t like racing for a sixth place or a Top 10, that’s not why I race," he states. "I want to race for the win, and I’d rather race for the win with a teammate who can actually win than hope that I can make it into the top 10 myself."
After placing 20th at the GP de Québec and 29th at the GP de Montréal, the veteran comes in as a rider to take into consideration. He is someone who enjoys the race's length and hilly profile.
"I am very good at reading a race, it’s definitely my strong suit. The harder the race, the better for me as well. And the races where it becomes man against man are the ones that suit me the most,"
Tom Skujins will lead Latvia at the World Championships
An under-the-radar winning candidate
Perhaps Skujins best trait, and one that makes him rather unique, is his ability to almost exclusively perform at the most prestigious events. A rider who appears unfazed by the pressure of an event like the World Championships.
His last victory outside national championships happened in 2018, but in the latter years of his career, his palmarès has been filled with top results in almost exclusively long and extremely difficult races:
8th at the 2023 World Championships; In 2024 he finished second at Strade Bianche, 10th at the Tour of Flanders, fifth at the Olympic Games and fourth at the World Championships; In 2025 he was fifth at both Worlds and European Championships.
Whilst this year he hasn't yet shown the same level, nothing hinted that 12 months ago he would only be beaten by four riders in the excruciating Kigali road race. But the 2024 edition of Strade Bianche, where he finished behind only Tadej Pogacar, was a notable moment in his career.
"It was the first and only time that I’ve had the full support of the team. And without that, I definitely wouldn’t have made it on the podium. It was the first year where I punctured, not just once but twice, and then I crashed," he recalls. "So I also had to change the bike. Without the guys supporting me, I definitely would have not made it back to the peloton".
When Skujins knows ahead that he will be the leader in a race, it ticks a mental switch that makes a world's difference:
"A lot of things in sport are not just physical preparation but the mental side as well. For these races, I know in advance that I will be the leader. With Lidl-Trek, it’s rare that I will know more than a week in advance that I will have a chance at a certain race,"
Pogacar's presence would benefit Skujins
Skujins aims to surprise and be one of the riders to fight for the win in Montréal. Whilst unlikely, it is not an impossible scenario - and he is well familiar with the circuit.
"In Montreal, you can wait, you don’t have to invest as much from a team perspective unless you have the big favourite and you’re controlling the race. You don’t have to invest as many people because in the end it’s the legs that decide,"
The Latvian wouldn't likely have a chance at winning if Tadej Pogacar - who is currently out of action - were present, but does believe he'd stand better chances at finishing towards the top.
"I think if Tadej was here, it would have been better for me, honestly. But a lot of things need to go right for me to win Worlds".
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Skujins is perhaps the right kind of rider to surprise at the World Championships, taking into consideration how very few eyes will be marking him throughout the race.
"You were saying I’m an outsider. But honestly, if you’ll ask around in the cycling world, they will not think of me as an outsider. I think there’s only a few people that will have noticed my consistency in these races and think that I have a realistic chance," he admits.
"It’s good for me to be a bit of an underdog from a smaller nation because I need the big nations to fight against each other for me to use the opportunity. I’m very much looking forward to it. It’s probably my last Worlds that I go for it, so I’ve got to make it count".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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leedorney06-11-2026 - Just my opinionleedorney06-11-2026
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