On Saturday the 3rd of August, the men's road race at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games are on the calendar. For Denmark, the lineup consists of Mattias Skjelmose, Mads Pedersen, Mikkel Bjerg and Michael Morkov.
Notably absent from the aforementioned quartet is the biggest name in Danish cycling, the two time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard. Whilst admittedly, the puncheur friendly course is far from ideal for the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader's talents, the absence has still been noted, even within the selected team members. At the upcoming World Championships in Zurich later this summer, Skjelmose is hopeful that Vingegaard will be present this time around.
"I hope that it will be me that we ride for (in Zurich ed.). I also hope that Jonas Vingegaard rides," 23-year-old Skjelmose says in conversation with Danish outlet Ekstra Bladet. "I think that it could make Denmark's medal chances much greater if we are both present. And then I just really want to ride in a team with Jonas."
Although Skjelmose is keen for leadership himself, if Vingegaard is present in Zurich, it's likely the senior figure would take leadership of his nation. "On paper Jonas is a better mountain rider than me - probably also in theory, but for the World Championships I think it is dangerous to have only one leader when you have eight riders," the Lidl-Trek man explains. "Then it may well be that he becomes first leader and I become co-leader , and then we will have to see how the race develops. If we are still together on the last lap, I have no problem with sacrificing myself for him, if that is the case, Denmark has the most medal chances, but I think it is a shame to line up with only one captain in the race."
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