"We waited for Mathieu van der Poel to open. Even he was a bit tired today" - Mattias Skjelmose rues wrong tactics at Amstel Gold Race

Many had high hopes for Mattias Skjelmose going into the 2024 Amstel Gold Race. Sadly for the Dane, 17th was the best he could manage this Sunday afternoon.

What was the cause of this slightly disappointing finish? Waiting too long according to the Lidl-Trek leader himself. "We let too many ride and waited for Mathieu to open. Even he was a bit tired today, though, so nothing happened," Skjelmose regrets ruefully post-race in conversation with the Danish media. "I did try to attack, but couldn't take the whole peloton with me, with Bauke Mollema at the front."

Although the peloton and a number of big-name riders were caught out heading into the finale as Tom Pidcock eventually triumphed ahead of Marc Hirschi and Tiesj Benoot, cooperation in the chase left a lot to be desired, much to Skjelmose's disappointment. "The peloton didn't really work well together, frankly the race was a bit too easy for that," he explains.

Nevertheless, the 23-year-old is optimistic about his form going into a busy part of the season. "I'm looking forward to Liège-Bastogne-Liège, with the legs I have now," he concludes with positivity.