Mattias Skjelmose's right-hand man extends at Lidl-Trek: "In the future I will ride more with Skjelly again"
Cycling
Otto Vergaerde joined Lidl-Trek in 2022 and the Belgian rider will continue to wear the colours of American team at the very least through 2027. The 31-year-old rarely has a chance to race for his own result, but his leadership, tactical qualities and selfless work for teammates made him a valuable asset for one of the world's biggest teams. His cooperation with Mattias Skjelmose in particular seems to have been paying off.
"Since I joined the team, we have created many good memories. Juanpe (Juan Pedro Lopez, ed.) in the pink jersey and (Giulio) Ciccone, who won a stage at my first Giro - helping these guys through the Giro was really nice and felt like a step up in my career. In 2024, Mads (Pedersen) Van der Poel beat Gent-Wevelgem and I am proud of my small part in that," says Vergaerde, before continuing about Skjelmose.
"I also enjoyed racing with Skjelmose last year and this year, when we raced for classification goals, which started really well with his fifth place and the white jersey at the Vuelta. To fight for something over three weeks and actually achieve it was fantastic. It gives me motivation for my goals next year. "
"This year his victory in the Amstel Gold Race was incredible to be a part of. Winning such a classic as the Amstel and seeing Skjelly on the highest step next to Tadej (Pogacar) and Remco (Evenepoel) was an amazing feeling."
"In the future I will ride more with Skjelly again in the mountain and general classification races. I feel appreciated by the team for the work I do. Especially now I feel that Skjelly really appreciates my role, and I think he has missed this a bit in the past. "
"For the team and me personally, we are motivated to get on the podium in a Grand Tour. This is something we haven't done since I joined the team. It's an ambitious goal, but certainly achievable with the riders we have," says the Belgian.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses 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.
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- 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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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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