"Mom didn't raise a coward" - Mattias Skjelmose back in action week after his painful Maryland crash
Cycling
The 2025 season of Mattias Skjelmose is one big rollercoaster of emotions. The 24-year-old Dane was off to a great start to the year with strong build-up races and a massive victory at the Amstel Gold Race where he outsprinted even the last two world champions Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel. At the Canadian classics in Quebec and Montreal, the Lidl-Trek rider hopes to again compete with the best.
But in the very next race, La Fleche Wallonne, Skjelmose went down and although nothing was broken, he took two months to again compete for victory. And then another blow came at the Tour de France where he dealt with an infection for a long time in the run-up, only to be taken out of the race by road furniture in second week.
Skjelmose was probably not on the list of biggest favourites to triumph in the Maryland Cycling Classic last Saturday. But the American semi-classic serves as a great platform to get ready for the much better suited races in Canada this week, hence no reason to not give it a go. However Skjelmose's race ended rather abruptly in a slippery corner on city cobbles just 30 kilometers into the race. With a pain-filled grimace, Skjelmose tried to continue, but soon understood the race was over.
In an extensive interview with TV2 Sport, Skjelmose provided a reassuring update. "Physically, I'm doing better than I had feared. I went for a short walk and then I said to myself: 'Mom didn't raise a coward,' so we're ready to race again on Friday," he said, referring to the GP Québec where a star-filled startlist including the likes of Tadej Pogacar, Wout van Aert or Biniam Girmay will aim to succeed.
That's also great news towards the World Championships in two weeks from now. With Denmark's superstars Jonas Vingegaard (currently leading Vuelta a Espana) and Mads Pedersen (focusing on European Championships ITT) not travelling to Kigali, the responsibility for a result falls onto Skjelmose's shoulders.
Skjelmose (middle) is one of the very few who can claim they beat Tadej Pogacar (left) this year at the Amstel Gold Race
And the Dane, knowing how he was brought up by his mom, won't settle for less than a podium result. "We're going there to compete for medals, and we think that's realistic. Of course, we want to become world champions – everyone does."
In his way will stand, just like in Canada, the invincible Slovenian phenomenon. And Skjelmose is well aware that in order to triumph over Pogacar who will aditionally enjoy the support of the likes of Primoz Roglic, a lot will have to happen. "Tadej Pogacar, and that just takes a lot. A lot has to go our way, and probably something has to go his way too to make it possible," says Skjelmose.
As a result, the Lidl-Trek rider is tempering expectations. "We're going there for a podium place, so a medal would also be very satisfying," said Skjelmose, who is the designated leader in Vingegaard's absence. "That puts me under pressure, but it's also a pressure that I think I'm mature enough to handle. Pressure is a privilege."
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 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 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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