"I want to come back and try again" - Mattias Skjelmose happy with second but aiming for more at Amstel Gold Race

Mattias Skjelmose won the 2025 Amstel Gold Race ahead of Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel, and seemingly it is a perfect fit for the Lidl-Trek leader. Skjelmose was the only rider able to resist the pace of Evenepoel this Sunday afternoon, however he has had to settle with a second place in Valkenburg as the Olympic Champion proved to be too strong.

Coming in with illness after Itzulia Basque Country, it was not certain whether he would have his best legs in the first of the Ardennes classics. As luck would have it, he did, and when Romain Grégoire launched the decisive attack of the race, he was in the small group. Then when Kévin Vauquelin and Matteo Jorgenson crashed, he was ahead and made it into the winning split.

But against an Evenepoel who looked the strongest uphill and on the flat, there wasn't a realistic way to have the upper hand in the final kilometers where the two were put head to head. “He was the strongest. Last year I was lucky, but this year he beat me fair and square. I was on the limit, and that was all I had. I did my best. In the end, I’m satisfied with second place.”

The bet was on a sprint, which he led from the front. But there was not a similar amount of power output in the dash to the line, the second place was quite clear. “I was on the limit, so the sprint had to be as short as possible. But it was obvious he was better. I tried, but there was nothing I could do.”

However the Dane can be happy with his form after a few difficult days. He has also put his foot down as the absolute leader for Lidl-Trek this week, and he has placed himself as a strong outsider for top results in the remaining Ardennes classics.

“It’s a bit of a relief. It’s been a tough period at the start of the year, so a second place is like rain on a really dry place. These races are unique. It’s the closest thing to a cobbled classic in terms of how technical and intense it is. You’re constantly focused, always reacting. Mentally it takes a lot out of you, but that’s also what makes it special.”

However Skjelmose doesn't settle with staying second, and he wants to repeat, in the future, what he's achieved 12 months ago. “It’s one of my favourite races on the calendar. I’ve won it, I’ve been second, so of course I want to come back and try again.”