Mattias Skjelmose takes first-ever Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica on winning return to racing for Lidl-Trek leader
Cycling
Lidl-Trek's Mattias Skjelmose has won the inaugural Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica atop a rainy summit finish at Coll de la Botella, returning to racing strongly ahead of the upcoming Tour de France.
Nine riders got themselves up the road early and into the day's breakaway. Most notable of the attackers was former Red Jersey wearer at the Vuelta a Espana, Odd Christian Eiking of Unibet Tietema Rockets. By 44km to go however, all of the early leaders had been reeled back in by the peloton.
The next big move came on the penultimate climb of the day, with Davide Formolo moving clear solo at the head of the race. With the Italian unable to lure out any counter moves to join him however, Formolo was soon swept up by the Lidl-Trek led peloton at 24km to go.
Before the final climb of the day, Diego Uriarte attacked the main bunch, now down to only around 30 riders. The Spaniard didn't last too long though, and was caught at 11km to go, immediately dropping out of contention.
With 5km to go, four riders were locked together at the front of the race, with Sebastian Berwick, Mattias Skjelmose, Enric Mas and Cristian Rodriguez looking relatively evenly matched. As the pace stalled slightly though, riders were beginning to come closer into behind. Sensing this, Berwick launched an acceleration with around 4km to go, not only pushing back the chasers, but also distancing Skjelmose.
At around 3.5km to go, Berwick himself started to look in difficulty as Mas put the hammer down at the front. As the pace stalled once again though, both Berwick and Skjelmose were back in contact as they entered the final 2km.
As the reached the flamme rouge, Esteban Chaves had also got himself back into the mix, increasing the fight for victory to five riders. The diminutive Colombian was the first to launch an attack too, although it was quickly nullified by his rivals. In the sprint for the line, victory was then secured by Skjelmose, ahead of Rodriguez and Mas.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - 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
Loading
Write a comment