Skjelmose climbs to third on Gotthard Pass

There was a strong sense of satisfaction in the words of Mattias Skjelmose after the first mountain test since his mid-season break in May. The Danish talent finished Stage 4 of the Tour de Suisse in third place after a head-to-head with Almeida (UAE), 48″ behind Træen (Bahrain), who won from the breakaway, and 25″ from Yates (UAE).

The first round of the GC challenge of the Tour de Suisse, which took place on the Gotthard Pass, gave the feedback Skjelmose wanted. Good feelings, good legs and the knowledge that the goal of placing himself on the final podium is possible. At the moment Skjelly is third overall, with the same time as Almeida (second), both 26″ behind Yates. Bernal (Ineos) follows in 4th position, 23″ behind the Dane, who will wear the jersey of best young rider tomorrow.

Today it was a glory for the breakaway, with Træen proving himself uncatchable and deserving the success. But, as one stage ends, the focus is already turned to the next hard days.

I think we played it well today. We did what we had to, as a Team. The guys believed in me and they did a great job to keep the situation under control for long time, Jacopo in particular.

The attack of Yates was strong. If I would have been in his wheel maybe I would have tried to follow. Anyway, he went strong, but I had always the feeling of good legs so I decided to wait for the right moment to force the pace and to minimize the loss. I’m happy with my performance. It was the first test on the mountain for me after the break and the altitude camp. Days like this always come with a bit of doubt. In the end, I felt really good, and that’s the best takeaway for today.

Although Yates today showed a great form, I feel the GC competition is still open. I’m in a good position. We’ll have three mountain stages and a time trial to play our chances. We’ll go for it.