“Maybe it’s the Tour that I can still feel” - Mattias Skjelmose questions impact of first Grand Tour double after losing ground at La Vuelta
CyclingTuesday, 25 August 2026 at 20:00
Mattias Skjelmose believes his first attempt at racing the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana in the same season may already be leaving a mark after he lost ground to his closest podium rivals in Andorra.
The Lidl-Trek leader was still in the main GC fight deep into stage 4, but slipped away as the pace rose on the Alto de La Comella and eventually conceded 38 seconds to the riders immediately ahead of him in the overall battle.
He remains eighth at 4:06, only 34 seconds from Enric Mas in third, but admitted afterwards that going deep felt harder than expected.
“I struggled a bit when I had to go really deep,” Skjelmose told TV2. “Maybe it’s the Tour that I can still feel, but I’m not worried.”
First Tour-Vuelta double brings unfamiliar fatigue
Skjelmose had stayed in contention through a stage Tadej Pogacar blew apart with his attack from around 50 kilometres out. The Dane was among the riders to regain contact with the strongest chase on the descent towards La Comella, but when Felix Gall accelerated again on the final climb, Skjelmose could no longer match the riders who would contest the places immediately behind Pogacar.
The 2026 season is the first time Skjelmose has tried to complete two Grand Tours in one year, and the Tour finished little more than four weeks before the Vuelta began in Monaco. Asked whether he had simply not had enough time to recharge, he pointed back towards July.
“I’ve never raced two Grand Tours before, so it’s probably the Tour,” he said. “But I hope I can turn it around later.”
Skjelmose is not describing an injury or illness, and he remains close to the podium places. The uncertainty is instead over how his body will respond to a second three-week race for the first time in his career.
Mattias Skjelmose ahead of stage 4 at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
2024 comeback gives Skjelmose reason for calm
Skjelmose has been in a similar position at the Vuelta before, even if the cause was different. He also described his opening to the 2024 race as “half-bad”, yet recovered across the three weeks to finish fifth overall and win the white jersey as the best young rider.
“I also had a half-bad start in 2024, and that ended up going pretty well,” he said.
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This time, the wider GC picture remains tightly packed behind Pogacar. Four-time Red Jersey winner Primoz Roglic is currently second at 3:21, Mas third at 3:32 and Skjelmose eighth at 4:06, with Sepp Kuss, Oscar Onley, Richard Carapaz and Gall all between them. Jarno Widar is level with Skjelmose on time in ninth.
Pogacar's three-minute advantage has already changed the shape of the race for red, but Skjelmose remains only 34 seconds from the podium after his first difficult mountain day. In 2024 he recovered from what he considered a poor opening to finish fifth overall and win white; this time he must do so while discovering for the first time how his body handles a Tour-Vuelta double.
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.
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- I’m not watching cos there’s zero excitement in knowing the result, barring accidents, beforehand. He’s an unbelievable cyclist, etc but there’s plenty things in life to do, and watching Pogacar destroy the opposition whenever he feels like it, and with nobody remotely threatening himwhenever doesn’t stand out as a very interesting way to spend my time. Of course I understand someone who wants him to win might find it great viewing, but not really me. Without excitement sport doesn’t do much for me.AndrewK25-08-2026
- I had to do my laundry.
santiagobenites25-08-2026 - When you win by cheating, that is not considered a legitimate win, and therefore counts for nothing. It is not an honorable achievement by any standard.. you can erase LA's name from the record books and nobody will care. Except perhaps to a few people who value cheating as a human virtue to be emulated.FredMan25-08-2026
- tell me how sprinters help vingegaard. Their irrelevant in that picture. Yes sprinters can win races and Visma is honsetly a better sprinter team now these days than they have climbers their roster there is incredible incredible weak and declining. Lets hope they can save this sinking ship and ppl leaving Visma and get some money i hope for thatmiguel25-08-2026
- Yawn - wake us up when it’s overCrashjames25-08-2026
- I am watching the Vuelta, but expect to be much more entertained by the rest of the podium fight and the other jerseys than by Pogi's procession. I enjoy watching Pogi much more on stages where he doesn't just solo forever. The way he responded to Wout in stage 2, for example, was great. He just loves to race, and it's fun to watch. That said, a 50 km TT is I am sure fun for Slovenian Pogi fanbois such as yourself, but it seems to blind you to how others might get a little bored watching that same story over and over again. It doesn't really bother me too much, I am happy to focus on the less predictable storylines in the race, and enjoy those Pogi moments where he animates stages that are a bit more like classics parcours.DAS25-08-2026
- I assumed that even before the start of the Vuelta.MajorPayne25-08-2026
- I can't believe someone made me like Mou's post! You are truly special!MajorPayne25-08-2026
- What's boring is people complaining.Hills3325-08-2026
- Don't watch cycling... watch bowling, curling, dart throwing or chess...PogiSloFans25-08-2026
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