“Remco Evenepoel doesn’t want Thibau Nys in the finale... Maybe that plays to my advantage" - Can Mattias Skjelmose go back-to-back in the Ardennes?

After his stunning win last time out at the 2025 Amstel Gold Race, Mattias Skjelmose takes to the startline of La Fleche Wallonne this afternoon as a much more closely watched rider. Nevertheless, the Dane's confidence is understandably high. So can Mattias Skjelmose go back-to-back in the Ardennes?

“It’s been a few days of coming to terms with everything,” admits the Lidl-Trek leader in a pre-La Fleche Wallonne interview, reflecting on arguably his biggest career victory last Sunday, upsetting world champion Tadej Pogacar and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel in a thrilling finale at the Amstel Gold Race. “It took a little while before I fully realised what had happened. There were a lot of emotions involved, and at the same time, I was trying to stay focused on this race. It’s been tough juggling it all.”

In something of a welcome, pressure-releasing boost for Skjelmose however, Lidl-Trek's hopes don't solely rest on the shoulders of the Dane. Also in the team this afternoon is Belgian prospect Thibau Nys, someone Skjelmose himself has already described as “the only guy who can beat Tadej Pogacar in a head-to-head on the Mur de Huy.”

The attention received by Nys could also allow Skjelmose to slip a little under the radar, despite his Amstel Gold Race win. “Remco doesn’t want Thibau in the finale. He’s already said it in the media, so we’ll be working toward that. Maybe that plays to my advantage,” concludes the 24-year-old's preview.