Mattias Skjelmose's victory could bring about a new wave of resistance against Tadej Pogacar's reign: "He is not invincible - that's a morale boost for many other riders"
Cycling
Mattias Skjelmose upset the big favourites of Amstel Gold Race - Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel to take the biggest victory of his career so far in a sprint against the two superhumans.
"First of all, I had expected that Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège would suit him better than Amstel. So of course we thought: 'It was just as well,'" Brian Holm tells Feltet.dk.
"The good thing about cycling is that it's hard to calculate, and yesterday the calculations were so wrong when he took down the two biggest stars in the sport," says the commentator.
For the cycling fans in Denmark, it was a surreal afternoon. Holm hopes Jonas Vingegaard was also glued to TV screen as his compatriot slayed the Slovenian phenomena. "If Vingegaard has been following, he probably thought that Pogacar could be beaten. That gives Vingegaard some hope ahead of the Tour de France. He is not invulnerable. He is also only human," says Holm.
Where is the limit?
While there is a long way till September, the climbing course of World Championships in Kigali could be a great opportunity for Skjelmose to create another magical moment. Especially if he's joined by Vingegaard. "I'm also thinking about the World Championships in Rwanda. If Skjelmose can win in Amstel, what can he do at the World Championships? Especially if Vingegaard is also racing. So a lot of possibilities open up now that he showed that level yesterday," he says.
Skjelmose had won the Tour de Suisse in 2023, does Amstel rank above it? "Winning the Tour de Suisse is absolutely exceptional. When you've seen a cycling race, you always think it's the greatest, but what will we talk about the most in 10 years?" asks Holm and continues.
"I think it's on par with winning the Tour de Suisse. What makes Amstel special is the two men he beats. If he had beaten Wout van Aert and Benoît Cosnefroy, you would have thought: 'Okay, fine, he's good.' But what makes the Amstel victory special is that he beats the two phenomena that you didn't think anyone could beat. Well, he could! And it certainly gives a lot of other riders morale boost too," he concludes.
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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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
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
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