“People suffered in the heat” – Mattias Skjelmose explains why stage 2 finale never fully exploded at 2026 Tour de France
Cycling
Mattias Skjelmose believes the heat played a major role in shaping stage 2 of the 2026 Tour de France, after the Montjuic finale created splits but stopped short of the full-scale GC explosion many expected.
The Lidl-Trek rider was one of the few to attack late in Barcelona, launching shortly before the finish before being brought back by the favourites. He still ended the day fifth, winning the sprint behind Isaac del Toro, Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard.
Speaking to TV 2 Sport afterwards, Skjelmose pointed first to the conditions.
“It became a hard and hot stage,” he said. “I think people suffered a bit in the heat. And that made it a slightly more passive bike race.”
Skjelmose attacks as favourites wait
Stage 2 had looked like an early ambush point for the Tour’s general classification contenders. The repeated climbs of Montjuic, the technical run-in and the uphill finish at the Olympic Stadium gave UAE Team Emirates – XRG, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and Team Visma | Lease a Bike a chance to test each other before the race had even reached France.
UAE did put the peloton under pressure. Brandon McNulty and Adam Yates helped reduce the bunch, Mathieu van der Poel was among those dropped on the final climb, and only a reduced favourites’ group remained in contention by the closing kilometres.
The bigger attacks, though, never really came. Instead, the finale turned into a fight for position and timing, with Skjelmose briefly trying to open the race before the final push towards the Olympic Stadium. “I am a racer, and when I smell a chance, I take it,” Skjelmose said. “I think it was a good attempt, and if you don’t try, you never find out whether it works.”
Heat leaves its mark in Barcelona
Skjelmose was caught before the finish, with Del Toro and Pogacar then turning the finale into a UAE one-two. Del Toro took the stage win after Pogacar allowed his teammate to cross first, while Evenepoel finished third and Vingegaard kept the yellow jersey in fourth.
Behind them, Skjelmose won the sprint from the next group. His fifth place confirmed a strong day for the Dane, even if his late move did not quite survive the final accelerations.
The GC picture shifted through bonus seconds and small gaps rather than a major climb-side detonation. Pogacar moved to within six seconds of Vingegaard overall, Evenepoel climbed to third at 15 seconds, and Del Toro rose to fourth at 16 seconds while taking the white jersey.
For Skjelmose, the stage still brought encouragement. He tested the finale, finished behind only the four strongest riders in Barcelona, and left with a clear explanation for why the first punchy Tour showdown became hard without turning into all-out chaos.
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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