Mattias Skjelmose breaks into Vuelta Top10 with brilliant Cuitu Negru climb: "Me and the whole team are super motivated to continue moving up the GC"
Cycling
Mattias Skjelmose is making his first bid for the Grand Tour overall classification here at the Vuelta a España and he is currently on the up. Out of the many riders aiming for GC success, he certainly seems to be recovering very well and has climbed onto the Top10 in Cuitu Negru after a formidable climb.
"On the final climb the guys brought me in position and supported me as well as they could, bringing me food and drinks and keeping me out of the wind, especially at the start of the stage where there was a split in the peloton and I was in the second part. Otto and Vacek did a great job to close the gap," Skjelmose said in a press release issued by the team. "On the last climb, I knew that going too deep on a high altitude climb would mean you pay, so I kept my own rhythm, no panic, and I think it worked out for me in the end."
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Skjelmose has been going up and down the standings throughout the race but a complicated day into Granada saw him lose valuable time. Consistent performances in the second week however see him jump back into the Top10. He was the third fastest rider up the colossal final climb today; finishing only five seconds away from Enric Mas and Primoz Roglic whilst riding out of the radar. The Dane climbed to ninth in the overall classification, now 4:51 minutes away from Ben O'Connor but only 18 seconds away from the sixth place of Florian Lipowitz.
"I’m happy, I’m confident for the last week. In the last two Grand Tours I did the third week was the best for me, so if I keep like this I’ll be really really happy," he adds, perhaps anticipating even better legs in the final week of the race which starts off with the Lagos de Covadonga stage. "First I’ll enjoy a really good rest day and we’ll see what the next week brings. I think me and the whole team are super motivated to continue moving up the GC."
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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.
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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)...
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- What a race! I didn't expect Vanthourenhout to collapse like that, and Wyseure did take the fight to Nys, but there was no doubt at the end. I also wonder what Aubin Sparfel would be capable of were he to race in the elites now. In the U23 ranks he is making good work of Giel Lejeune, who himself is among the better riders in the elites, and a top 10 contender in the big races (3rd at Kleebergcross, 8th at Berencross and 5th at Heerderstrand). In the French Cup, Sparfel is significantly better than Romain Debord (8th at Koppenbergcross and 10th at the Euros) and Rémi Lelandais (12th at Koppenbergcross and 19th at the Euros).
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He should have been allowed to go to Movistar. Right now both arent a good fit for each other and are just wasting each other's time and effortabstractengineer08-11-2026
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#LaVuelta24 @skjelmose_ has climbed his up into the top 10 overall (9th) with his impressive effort 💪 A well-deserved rest day coming up for him and the whole team tomorrow after today 🙏
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