"Was it worth it? Hard to say" - Mattias Skjelmose ends troubled year due to Vuelta exhaustion
Cycling
Mattias Skjelmose is one of Lidl-Trek's biggest questions. The Danish rider has had his best Tour de France to date and was the team's top finisher, however he has finished his season with mixed feelings and a feeling of disappointment.
The Dane has had a troubled year. Although he renewed with the German team during the winter, he learned of his schedule during the team's pre-season press conference. After having been promised solo leadership at the 2026 Giro d'Italia last year, he was not selected.
Instead, he was connected with Juan Ayuso at the Tour de France where he would take on a domestique role - later turned to co-leadership due to the duo's performances; whilst at the Ardennes he would also be a designated co-leader alongside Ayuso whereas he aimed to have the team's full support behind him.
After the Tour de France, Skjelmose was finally given leadership at the Vuelta a España as a solo leader, but with a team that failed to deliver. An ill Mads Pedersen was forced to abandon early on, whilst the team didn't provide the Dane with support for the mountain stages despite Skjelmose's ambitions of a podium finish.
"That’s it for me this year," Skjelmose wrote in an Instagram post. "The Vuelta ended up way harder than I thought. We wanted to seek the limit and I can proudly say we found it. Was it worth it? Hard to say. Only time will tell".
Skjelmose's Vuelta ended in exhaustion, with him losing his Top10 position on the final mountain stage in the outskirts of Granada, after three weeks of attempting to survive.
Mattias Skjelmose reached his limit at the Vuelta a España
Skjelmose sixth at the Tour de France
At first glance it would not appear to be the case. But Skjelmose's results tell one story, whilst his position in the team tells another. With Lidl-Trek signing Juan Ayuso and Derek Gee, his own ambitions have been put aside somewhat at the start of the year.
At the same time, injury prevented Ayuso from performing in the spring, allowing Skjelmose for a leadership position. He was second at Amstel Gold Race behind Remco Evenepoel and fifth at La Flèche Wallone.
In the summer, despite Ayuso being the designated leader, his and Skjelmose's performances were similar, meaning none had to sacrifice their results for the other. The Dane was sixth at the Tour Auvergne - Rhòne - Alpes and then again at the Tour de France, where he overtook his teammate on the summit finish to Alpe d'Huez.
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Skjelmose unhappy with his season
But Skjelmose didn't end the year satisfied. "I can’t really say I’m happy with my season, in general I found a new level, but always felt like I was missing out on the big results," he admits.
After the Vuelta, it had been rumoured by Het Laatste Nieuws that Skjelmose was not happy with his role in the team and, despite having just renewed his contract, wanted to depart. The team is also likely seeing the departure of Giulio Ciccone mid-contract, and its intentions of signing Filippo Ganna could only be made possible with the departure of riders currently under contract.
Skjelmose has confirmed that he will not race again this year. "But for now it’s about recovery for next year. Thank you for all the people that supported me this year, I couldn’t have done it without you. On to the next one," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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