“For me, right now, I couldn’t imagine being in a better place.”
Since first joining Lidl-Trek in August 2020 as a stagière, Mattias Skjelmose has been on a fast-track to success. The Dane was immediately taken under the wing of Mads Pedersen, who played the role of big brother as Skjelmose found himself in the daunting world of professional cycling.
In 2021, his first full year as a pro rider, Skjelmose began to show glimpses of his potential ability: a podium here and there in smaller stage races, a GC top-10 at UAE Tour whilst riding in support of Vincenzo Nibali. At the start of his second season, with a solid winter of training behind him, ‘Skjelly’ stood on the final podium of the Tour de la Provence alongside Julian Alaphilippe and Nairo Quintana – an impressive feat for a neo-pro.
There have been some bumps along the way, like a disappointing Grand Tour debut at the Giro d’Italia. The Dane took it on the chin as part of the learning process and refocused for the second half of the season, during which he drew attention for a streak of GC podiums before claiming his first professional wins: the time trial stage and overall GC at the Tour of Luxembourg.
Having impressed in his first two years with the Team, Skjelmose was offered more leadership opportunities in 2023 and made full use of them, winning seven races in a successful season that stretched from February to September. The jewels amongst these victories were the Tour de Suisse, the most prestigious; and the Danish National Road Race title, the most personally significant.
After making his Tour de France debut last year, in which he was instrumental to Giulio Ciccone’s King of the Mountains campaign, Skjelmose turns his attention to the Vuelta a España in 2024, where he will go all-in to see how far he can go as a GC rider.
Speaking about his contract extension, Mattias Skjelmose said: “Lidl-Trek always believed in me, since day one. It was quite an easy choice, when they came with an offer, showing me even more trust, it was hard to say no. I developed a lot as a Lidl-Trek rider and it’s always a risk to change teams and I didn’t see any reason to do that when I believe I can improve more here.
Lidl coming in has helped a lot. It’s no surprise that the Team has grown significantly thanks to the sponsorship, and that’s something we need in cycling. The Team proposed a good plan for me which I was very happy with. It fits perfectly with my vision and what I believe will work best for me.
I would love to have stood on a Grand Tour podium by the next time we have this conversation about a contract extension, hopefully with the same team. That’s the dream scenario, but I have a lot of other goals, and as long as I keep developing, I’m also really happy. Everything moves so fast in this sport, and if you stand still, you’re in trouble. For me, right now, I couldn’t imagine being in a better place.”
Lidl-Trek General Manager Luca Guercilena added: “We’re proud of the way Mattias has developed with us, both on and off the bike. He has grown into both a race winner and one of our leaders, and he still has plenty of space to keep improving. His raw talent, work ethic and humble nature will take him far in this sport, and I’m happy that he will remain a part of this family through 2026. This year the Ardennes Classics and the Vuelta are big objectives for him, I’m excited to see what he is able to do with our support.”
