Mattias Skjelmose reveals how he found out he was the captain for Denmark at the World Championships
Cycling
Lidl-Trek rider Mattias Skjelmose, at just 24 years old, was named Denmark’s captain for the 2024 World Championships in Zurich. However, the way he found out about his leadership role was far from the conventional team meeting or official announcement, it happened during a brutal Sunday training ride.
The week before the World Championships, Skjelmose set out on an intense training session alongside his friends and fellow professional riders Matias Malmberg and Mads Andersen. Following his crash during the second stage of the Tour de Luxembourg, which derailed his race preparations, Skjelmose needed to simulate race conditions to regain sharpness.
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On the podcast Velofit, Skjelmose described the ride where he learned of his captaincy: “We then had one trip that was supposed to simulate a bike race. There were three of us and Sebastian Andersen in the car, and then we drove for five hours with three-man shifts.”
The training session was relentless, involving long pulls and high intensity. “I did 40-minute leads at 320 watts, and then they took 20 minutes each. We did that for five hours, or maybe it was 4.5 hours, but then we finished with an hour and a half of pace behind a scooter,” he recalled.
The effort statistics were staggering: “Six hours and 16 minutes in the saddle. 263 kilometres at an average of 42 kilometres per hour,” Skjelmose revealed. During the ride, he maintained an average power output of over 300 watts.
It was during this rigorous preparation that Skjelmose found out he would lead the Danish team in Zurich. The announcement, though understated, marked a significant milestone in his career. The responsibility of captaining Denmark at the World Championships is a prestigious role, and it was a reward for Skjelmose’s excellent 2024.
Unfortunately, despite his strong preparation, back issues forced him to withdraw on the morning of the World Championships. While he didn’t get the chance to compete for the rainbow stripes, the story of how he became Denmark’s captain shows just how talented this young rider is.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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