Little seems to be running to plan for Mattias Skjelmose as he heads ever closer to the Tour de France, where he will be lining up to try and bolster Lidl-Trek's GC showing this July after having proven his mettle at La Vuelta a España in 2024 with fifth.
The 24-year-old may have taken a spectacular victory at Amstel Gold Race ahead of Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel in April but there have been a number of challenges through the rest of the season.
"This season has been a quiet lesson in patience," said Skjelmose in a statement from the rider shared by Lidl-Trek. "Not everything breaks with noise, sometimes it just slips out of rhythm. That’s what this stretch has felt like. It’s been frustrating, yes. But I’ve learned to listen, not rush. To recalibrate without losing sight of the road ahead."
The bumps in the road travelled so far this season have included a crash which ended his podium chase at Paris-Nice in March, another which ended his La Flèche Wallonne before giving way to illness that altered his plans to line up at the Critérium du Dauphiné and now also the race that was meant to replace it, Tour de Suisse.
"This isn’t the first time things haven’t gone to plan and it won’t be the last," said Skjelmose. "But being honest about where I stand doesn’t make me any less committed. If anything, it makes the goal even clearer. The Tour de France is still the priority and I’m fully focused on being ready."
Skjelmose last raced the Tour de France in 2023, finishing 29th overall on his debut at the race and, while building to the Giro d'Italia had been the plan for 2025 at one point, by January it was announced that the Tour would be his goal.
The race build was meant to begin at the Critérium du Dauphiné, which is currently underway, but that was before an untimely illness at the end of altitude camp left him "with a stomach infection," and "no real ability to eat or recover properly."
It had been thought that the Dane would be back to start the Tour de Suisse – which he won in 2023 – from June 15 to 22.
"A few days ago, I shared that I’d been off the bike for about a week with a stomach infection, but that I was back training and starting to rebuild my strength and rhythm," said Skjelmose. "Not long after, the illness came back – more intense than before – but fortunately it passed quickly. We’ve done a number of tests and are still waiting on some results to get a clearer picture of what’s been going on.
"After speaking with the team and my coach, we made the call not to race Tour de Suisse. There just isn’t enough time to get back to the level I want to be at. The focus now is on recovering properly, finding rhythm again, and rebuilding what I lost. Everything from here is about being ready for the Tour de France."
