"Not crack tomorrow and we see what destiny brings" - Mattias Skjelmose into White Jersey at La Vuelta 2024 with just two stages left
Cycling
Whilst the Red Jersey at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana might be over after stage 19, where Primoz Roglic soloed to the stage win atop Alto de Moncalvillo, the fight for the White Jersey and the title of Best Young Rider is starting to really heat up.
Following his third placed finish on the final climb of stage 19, the new man in white is Lidl-Trek's Mattias Skjelmose. Now just 8 seconds ahead of Carlos Rodriguez, with Florian Lipowitz just over a minute down, is the Dane timing his move to perfection with just two, decisive stages left to go at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana?
“It’s my first time doing a proper GC in a Grand Tour and of course I start to feel it," Skjelmose admits in his post-stage interview. "I think the other guys do as well… maybe not Primoz Roglic! I tried not to go over the limit on any day, just to save myself as much as possible and doing the minimal amount of work possible."
"The most important for me was to prove myself. If I lose two minutes tomorrow, or if I gain two minutes, it’s not the most important," Skjelmose concludes. "The most important is to stay consistent, not crack tomorrow, and we see what destiny brings. It’s just one day at a time.”
Best Young Rider classification after stage 19 at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana:
| 1 | ▲1 | SKJELMOSE Mattias | Lidl - Trek | 76:48:23 |
| 2 | ▼1 | RODRÍGUEZ Carlos | INEOS Grenadiers | 0:08 |
| 3 | - | LIPOWITZ Florian | Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe | 1:08 |
| 4 | ▲1 | RICCITELLO Matthew | Israel - Premier Tech | 1:08:07 |
| 5 | ▼1 | POOLE Max | Team dsm-firmenich PostNL | 1:20:24 |
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 hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
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#LaVuelta24 A cool down on the @wahoofitness before changing into the White Jersey 🤍
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