Skjelmose Inches Closer to White Jersey

La Vuelta resumed with a bang after the rest day, plunging the peloton into another grueling mountain showdown at the infamous Lagos de Covadonga. Mattias Skjelmose, who has been riding high after a strong second week, began the day ranked 9th overall, trailing the leader in the young rider classification by just 18 seconds.

The final ascent was animated by an early attack from Mikel Landa, who launched a bold move midway up the final climb. As reactions and counter-attacks rippled through the GC contenders, Skjelmose once again demonstrated his maturity and confidence. He stayed composed, riding his own pace up the brutal ramps, a strategy that paid off.

Skjelmose crossed the line just seven seconds behind the leading GC trio of Mas, Carapaz, and Roglič. In doing so, he gained four crucial seconds on Carlos Rodríguez, leapfrogging past the incumbent White Jersey holder, Florian Lipowitz, and closing the gap to just seven seconds in the best young rider classification.

With two more summit finishes ahead and a final test against the clock in Madrid, the race for the White Jersey is far from over, and Skjelmose’s prospects continue to look promising.

Finish line reaction from Skjelmose: “ I wasn’t feeling super good today, so I was a little bit worried. I think I managed well, I really took care of myself, paced myself even more than I normally do, and I think it worked out great at the end. Today it was even more important because I didn’t have a great feeling like some of the other days, so I took extra care. I know myself really well and today I went by feeling instead of looking at the power meter and I think that helped me out in the end.”