Mattias Skjelmose's Lidl-Trek future update amid transfer speculation - Danish leader reportedly committed to team ahead of potential 2027 focus
Cycling
Mattias Skjelmose is staying at Lidl-Trek, despite interest from Uno-X Mobility and UAE Team Emirates-XRG in recent weeks following the arrivals of Felix Gall and Jordan Jegat, leading to speculation that the Danish rider was considering his options.
Sixth place at the Tour de France, Skjelmose enjoyed a strong summer that saw him share leadership duties with new signing Juan Ayuso. However, it had been reported that Netcompany INEOS and Uno-X Mobility were among interested teams in signing the rider.
Contracted until the end of the 2028 season, journalist Daniel Benson reports that INEOS never officially contacted the rider, while Uno-X had previously enquired, but have not officially requested talks. He also revealed that UAE and other WorldTour teams have also enquired about the rider, but no formal conversations took place.
Furthermore, the rider is committed to the team and although his 2027 schedule hasn't been confirmed, the Dane is likely to target the Giro d'Italia. Benson reports that the rider is said to be relaxed ahead of the new season.
Mattias Skjelmose
Skjelmose impresses at Tour de France
That sixth place represented the strongest Grand Tour result of Skjelmose’s 2026 season and his best finish yet at the Tour. It also came after Lidl-Trek had entered July with more than one GC card to play.
Ayuso also arrived as one of the team’s headline leaders and spent much of the race ahead of Skjelmose in the standings, but the Dane gradually closed the gap before ultimately finishing one position ahead of the Spaniard in Paris.
Skjelmose had already shown his three-week credentials with fifth overall and the young rider classification at the 2024 Vuelta, but his Tour performance this summer offered a stronger indication that he could compete at that level in cycling’s biggest race.
“After all, I finished sixth at the Tour de France, which I think is a relatively good result,” the 25-year-old told TV 2 Sport following the Vuelta.
“As far as I know, there’s nobody else on the team who is here right now who has achieved a better result at the Tour. So nobody can take that role away from me yet.”
Read also
Gall's arrival changes dynamic
Gall’s move gives Lidl-Trek another rider who can reasonably expect opportunities of his own. As mentioned already, the Austrian’s 2026 season has pushed him into a different category after podium finishes at both the Giro and Vuelta. That makes the allocation of leadership across 2027 increasingly intriguing, particularly when the team already has riders capable of targeting all three Grand Tours.
But CEO Andy Schleck has also been emphatic that Skjelmose remains central to the project. “We want to develop ‘Skelly’,” he told TV 2 Sport.
“He has many years ahead of him and we want to shape him for the future, and we see this as the best preparation. He went through some difficult moments, and he overcame them with his strength. We want a better Mattias next year, and riding two Grand Tours in one season will make him stronger, including the difficult moments he has gone through.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- I don’t think that’ll be the case at all. I think Remco will surely be some way ahead after 1st TT, and Tadej will go all out to thrash him in the mountains.Lozza30-10-2026
- Their team had a strategy of Tadej winning and del Toro being second of third. Tadej had to help him all along that route. However, it's clear those two guys are very close friends, so it's understandable. Del Toro is impressive too, this was his first Tour. He and Paul Seixas are going to be competitors throughout their careers and it's going to fun to watch.awp30-10-2026
- There is no doubt about that, Jonas is a beast. If you remember back, he was much lighter for the 2024 Tour than normal after that crash because he had so much muscle loss, but he still raced and finished second, he cried at the end because he didn't think he would make the podium when he decided to race it, but did it anyway.awp30-10-2026
- Yes, he needs to go for his sixth Tour win. He's the best cyclist in history so he needs to get to his sixth. There is time for Roubaix later.awp30-10-2026
- An 'any excuse for CUTD to mention Pogacar' story 😁
leedorney30-10-2026 - As far as i saw the tour He dropped both Sexias and Remco on multiple stages even after the Giro, so rather they will be under pressure from him since he will be behind. He has already won the TDF, they haven't, he has nothing to lose.abstractengineer30-10-2026
- "Naturally, we want the suspense to last as long as possible," there is no suspense, we already know the result. If they design routes like this it will be like 2017 where Froome just win based on his TT and Uran just followed wheels into 2nd, a very horrible tour but times were pretty close by without major actions.abstractengineer30-10-2026
- Breakthrough win came from breakthrough tactics not breakthrough performance. Mcnulty will still be the same. Del Toro was inconsistent, at Dauphine he was good and at TDF he was struggling. He has not yet won any monument or GT, he will but he has not yet. None of them are close to pogi, >1 level down. Del Toro should not be at the TDF if he is going to slow down Pogi.abstractengineer30-10-2026
- same risk as every year. even if he crashes and breaks a collarbone or the like, there would be enough time to heal and regain fitness for the vuelta, which - although not the tour - is probably the more worthy season goal for his palmares.Ketterechts30-10-2026
- I Agree he should skip the tour, Pogi will win by 10 minutes, Remco will Crash and burn. Del Toro and Sexias will finish on the podium. THen they will again design for Jonasabstractengineer30-10-2026
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