Flèche Wallone saw Trek - Segafredo come in with three cards to use. All were saved for the final climb, and Mattias Skjelmose put on a very strong performance to finish second on the day, only behind Tadej Pogacar who was unbeatable on the day.
“UAE Emirates has done a great job. I thought the rest would attack a bit earlier, but his team held it together really well," the Dane said in a post-race interview, further complementing his rival who proved why he was the man to beat on the day. "Cheers, I want to say. Pogacar was also smart to wait. Real champions can keep themselves calm if they have good legs."
Skjelmose kept his powder dry all the way into the Mur de Huy and even there he was relatively hidden. As Giulio Ciccone and Bauke Mollema also hovered over the front of the group, Skjelmose found himself a few wheels behind Pogacar and Woods who led the group up the difficult hairpin. The 22-year old was one of the few who managed to accelerate once Romain Bardet hit the front, and then rode to the head of the stringed out peloton when Tadej Pogacar attacked.
The win wasn't attainable however Skjelmose finished an impressive second place, which had him satisfied at the end of a hard day. “I'm even closer than I thought before. Of course you always want to win, but you also have to be realistic. The team did a great job and really made a step," he concluded. With more climbing, Skjelmose has placed himself as a contender for the podium at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
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