"This is not good enough" - Lidl-Trek DS disappointed by the team's overall performance on the day Skjelmose lost time
CyclingWednesday, 26 August 2026 at 09:00
The fourth stage of 2026 Vuelta a Espana was first of the edition's many hard mountain days. And as expected, many contenders were excited to test themselves against their rivals, even though the battle behind Tadej Pogacar ended up in a bit of a stalemate as a group of six chasers arrived together. However some surprising names were not part of that select group. And among them Mattias Skjelmose.
Chaos at Lidl-Trek
Already on the stage's first categorized climb - the 25-kilometer Port de Envalira - the peloton shrunk down to roughly 40 riders. And behind, in the second group, Lidl-Trek was furiously chasing. The immediate thought was that Mattias Skjelmose must've lost contact, but the Dane was eventually located alongside his GC rivals.
The reason for panic was that the German failed to have a single domestique at Dane's hand - a situation that did not play into their hand with still 80 kilometers left to cover. However Decathlon's pace would not allow Skjelmose's teammates to return.
"It is not good enough. I don't find it disappointing that Mads Pedersen isn't there after a 25-kilometer climb, but we have other riders who should do better in the mountains," team manager Kim Andersen told TV2, referring to Patrick Konrad, Julien Bernard, and Lennard Kämna. "They should have been there."
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Skjelmose wasn't at his best
On the remaining climbs, it became painfully clear that Skjelmose did not have the legs to follow the main group of favourites either as Gall & co. started to slip away from the Dane on Coll d'Ordino. Ultimately, he ended up at a 38-second loss.
"He wasn't feeling great. If we analyze it briefly, we see that he lost a minute in the fourth stage of the 2024 Vuelta, where he finished fifth. So he might have had some problems at the start," Andersen says, looking for a possible reason.
It's not the end of the world because Skjelmose had a bit of a head start thanks to stage 1 time trial, but he can't afford any further days of weakness to reach the final top-5.
"Of course, it's a shame that we're losing time. But it's not a disaster, because he did have time for a number of competitors, so everything is fine," the DS concludes.
"I had some trouble pushing myself to the limit. Maybe it's because of the Tour, but I'm not nervous. I also had a bad start in 2024, but it turned out fine in the end," Skjelmose himelf adds. "I've never ridden two Grand Tours in a row, so it's probably down to the race, but I hope I can improve on that later."
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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