Mattias Skjelmose is the winner of the White Jersey for the best young rider in this race. 🤍 This and the 5th place in GC reassure him that he's indeed a GC rider for Grand Tours. A podium place is his next goal. #LaVuelta24
"Wished that he was a little more aggressive and dared more" - Bjarne Riis believes Mattias Skjelmose could've done more at La Vuelta 2024 with stronger team
CyclingTuesday, 10 September 2024 at 12:00
Mattias Skjelmose rode for general classification for the first time in his career at the 2024 Vuelta a Espana and it's fair to say the Lidl-Trek talent was successful, taking home a top 5 placing and the White Jersey for Best Young Rider.
Could things have been even better for the 23-year-old Dane though? "One could have wished that he was a little more aggressive and dared more," Skjelmose's compatriot and 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis reflects in conversation with Danish outlet BT. "But I also understand that he had to take home a result, and it was therefore best to ride safely. That can easily be accepted."
In future though, Riis believes Skjelmose shouldn't just follow the wheels and instead try to be more of a protagonist on the most important stages. "Now he knows he can next time, and then he might dare to bet a little more. After all, he is an aggressive and exuberant rider, and he took that away from himself by riding as defensively as he did," the 60-year-old notes. "And that's fair enough. In his defence, it probably would have required a better team."
"He has proven that he can last three weeks at a high level. He hasn't had any days where he has really gone down, like several of his competitors," Riis adds. "This result was super important for his future and will give him a lot of confidence. I still expect him to be a stronger, more mature and more resilient cyclist in the long run. Since he can do it there, I think the future looks bright for him. With the extra robustness, he can at the same time allow himself to introduce a more aggressive driving style."
"Right now, of course, there is a long way to go to the podium in the Tour de France, but top 5 is not unrealistic in the long term, and it's also really nice," Riis concludes. "In the Giro or the Vuelta, I even believe that he can win once in the future, although of course it depends on who he is up against. If he can develop as much in the next few years as he has done in the last two, then there is not far to go. He can do it all. He has the whole package. He can ride a single start, ride uphill and has a good finish on the last parts of the mountains, which is quite significant compared to all the others."
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