Mattias Skjelmose: The Blonde Assassin

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

I cannot really believe how Lidl-Trek‘s GC captains, Skjelmose/Ciccone/JP Lopez rode these last two days in the mountains…

Yesterday even Stuyven was much faster, and today was terrible, too… There must have happened bad things. What a disappointment.

O‘Connor, DF Martinez, rode disappointingly, too, but the Trek leaders have been hit most badly.

Pedersen saved their Tour, but they wanted to achieve a Top10 in final GC, too…

 

[Logic-is-your-friend]

Thread needs to be changed to "new Spilak".

 

[Netserk]

Nah, Kirchen.

 

[tobydawq]

He's 22, maybe we shouldn't overreact just yet.

He isn't a new Pogacar, though, I'll give you that.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Nah, Kirchen.

Fuglsang with a sprint? He's really, really good at deflecting and giving opinions on why it really doesn't seem to work that well at the moment.

I don't know, commentators are hyping him out of this world and then when he's inevitably dropping, its a 'good performance'. I have already heard every excuse in the book from him: small crashes, heat, Ciccone polkadots etc. etc. In reality, he just isn't that durable in GTs - maybe he will become that, maybe he never will.

 

[Mayomaniac]

Thread needs to be changed to "new Spilak".

Nah, make it "Danish Zakarin" and we're good.

 

[RedheadDane]

Nah, make it "Danish Zakarin" and we're good.

Pretty sure I've seen Skjelmose descend pretty well.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Pretty sure I've seen Skjelmose descend pretty well.

It's because of his clinical past, plus they also both won their first WT races in Switzerland.

 

[RedheadDane]

It's because of his clinical past, plus they also both won their first WT races in Switzerland.

Yeah, but I don't think you can be a Zakarin if you can actually descend.

 

[Red Rick]

Was gonna call him a Spilak but that's already been given.

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

His career develops very well, very steady, with just the right improvements. He gets better all the time - slowly, but steady.

I however don’t know for sure what to think about his TdF. 29th in GC, more than two hours down. Their captain, and best placed rider.

I think it’s almost 100% certain that he‘ll achieve Top-10s in future GT GCs. But will he be a potential GT winner, over podium candidate? Hard to say.

Probably also the team expected a bit more from him at the TdF. But Pedersen won them their stage, and Ciccone the mountains jersey, so still a great TdF for Lidl. But I thought Skjelmose could go for Top-10 or Top-20 after his TdS…

 

[Peter von]

His career develops very well, very steady, with just the right improvements. He gets better all the time - slowly, but steady.

I however don’t know for sure what to think about his TdF. 29th in GC, more than two hours down. Their captain, and best placed rider.

I think it’s almost 100% certain that he‘ll achieve Top-10s in future GT GCs. But will he be a potential GT winner, over podium candidate? Hard to say.

Probably also the team expected a bit more from him at the TdF. But Pedersen won them their stage, and Ciccone the mountains jersey, so still a great TdF for Lidl. But I thought Skjelmose could go for Top-10 or Top-20 after his TdS…

Yeah. It’s always tough to say how much was down to the crash and how much was just Skjelmoses level.

But it was clear that after a certain point he started to loose time on purpose to get into the breakaways and there he worked quite hard for Ciccone’s polka dots. So his final gc spot and time deficit doesn’t tell a full story imo.

He seemed rather strong in the third week as well. So overall I think I am more confident that he will top 10 and maybe even 5 in the future than before this TdF. Where, based on Basque Country, I feared he would burn out during the second week.

 

[iBanesto]

Yeah, but I don't think you can be a Zakarin if you can actually descend.

Watching Zakarin descend is stressful TV.

 

[IndianCyclist]

His career develops very well, very steady, with just the right improvements. He gets better all the time - slowly, but steady.

I however don’t know for sure what to think about his TdF. 29th in GC, more than two hours down. Their captain, and best placed rider.

I think it’s almost 100% certain that he‘ll achieve Top-10s in future GT GCs. But will he be a potential GT winner, over podium candidate? Hard to say.

Probably also the team expected a bit more from him at the TdF. But Pedersen won them their stage, and Ciccone the mountains jersey, so still a great TdF for Lidl. But I thought Skjelmose could go for Top-10 or Top-20 after his TdS…

After his achievements in the TDS, his team thought lets throw him into the sea, what's the worst that can happen. Unfortunately with the war between the Great Whites and the Killer Whales, he got massacred as it has been no place for training over the last 3 years. He may fare better in the Giro Vuelta though but considering his work for Pederson in WCRR, he might also have potential for the hilly one days as well.

 

[Peter von]

After his achievements in the TDS, his team thought lets throw him into the sea, what's the worst that can happen. Unfortunately with the war between the Great Whites and the Killer Whales, he got massacred as it has been no place for training over the last 3 years. He may fare better in the Giro Vuelta though but considering his work for Pederson in WCRR, he might also have potential for the hilly one days as well.

Finishing 8th, 2nd and 9th in Amstel, Fleche and LBL might be encouraging signs of his hilly classics potential.

I also think he showed pretty decent legs in the Tour, and learned a lot about how hard that race is.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

I've only just come across this thread, but feel the urge to share.

Throughout my life, I have made a virtue of being humble and avoiding fueling toxic discussions.
But for the first time ever, when I read this person's name, the negative emotions well up in me.

Someone will probably wonder about that- in exactly the same way that I understand nothing of anyone's aversions to e.g. Sepp Kuss. I don't know the story. And don't want to hear it. Kuss is a perfectly fine guy in my opinion - a real team's man if anything, half a handful of misses from this fact changes nothing.

Yes, might backfire me, but perfectly fine with me, and even better if it's followed by substantiated counter-arguments.

I just think that the man still has a little too much to learn to fulfill his great potential in the right way.
Yes, it was a nice TdS he got on his palmares, but he could have won with half his strength if he had used what he had between his ears.

I'm just glad I don't have to be his coach/mental coach.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

After his achievements in the TDS, his team thought lets throw him into the sea, what's the worst that can happen. Unfortunately with the war between the Great Whites and the Killer Whales, he got massacred as it has been no place for training over the last 3 years. He may fare better in the Giro Vuelta though but considering his work for Pederson in WCRR, he might also have potential for the hilly one days as well.

They didn't suddenly decide to let him go for GC in the Tour. It had been the plan all year, but they will of course have had higher hopes after Tour de Suisse.

 

[Peter von]

Yes, it was a nice TdS he got on his palmares, but he could have won with half his strength if he had used what he had between his ears.

I'm just glad I don't have to be his coach/mental coach.

Thank you for sharing.

Maybe, I actually thought Skjelmose rode TdS the best way he could given the circumstances.
He had a big meltdown in Basque Country* and lost a lot of time late in the race, so naturally he/the team feared he would burn out before the race was decided and rode accordingly. Tactically if it was another rider or under different circumstances, I would also say he was way too conservative after taking the leaders jersey in TdS. But given the lack of team support in mountains and his recent history IMO it made sense.
But with Skjelmose I thought it made perfect sense that he kept his powder that dry.

*He went from 3rd to 17th on the last day and also looked more gassed the day before.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

*He went from 3rd to 17th on the last day and also looked more gassed the day before.

Yes, on a glance his Itzulia collapse perhaps could be compared to Vingegaard's ditto in TdP (this even more severe, his leader's jersey torn apart well and thoroughly).
But with Skjelmose it to me seems like another pervasive theme - using alot of effort in all the wrong places, consequently too often burns out where fuel left in the tank is crucial and very displayed at those moments.

He is the complete opposite personality of his countryman Rolf Sørensen, especially in the latter's case before radio communication and using your race intelligence and seizing the moments could bring success to the one who perhaps didn't have the most legs left in an exquisite créme de la créme group. Rolf Sørensen had learned this fine discipline to the finger tips from a younger age than Skjelmose's age by now.

This is why Rolf was one of my prime idols back in the day - and not so much due to he is a countryman of mine, too - today my memory lacks who was my big heroes within the same area before Rolf Sørensen, maybe there weren't the same ones with the same racing intelligence, I thought more about the immediate strong adventurers like Criquielion, Fignon et al. *edit* bad examples, Criquielion and Fignon typically HAD the strongest legs in their wins in selected groups, hence not so much won primarily by smartness, whereas Rolf Sørensen used his potential almost to its fullest in that way - and a pure joy to me watching riding this way - whereas today I read alot of grumpiness when the strongest do not win - to me it's on the opposite - fully stimulated when the smartest succeeds.

Whereas my feeling is completely opposite for Skjelmose. He seems like a young guy in dire need of radio communication. A terrible introduction that I still haven't fully accepted here 30 years later. And maybe explains my aversions.

 

[ciranda]

well he is top ten in the world's ranking or just out of it so must be doing something right

Idk what races you have watched w skjelmose in them, it's obvious that race intelligence is a real strong feature with him

 

[Peter von]

We can always poke holes in certain riders tactical decisions, especially since we can’t feel their legs. I do not agree that Skjeldmose is that bad at managing his race tactics.

I didn’t think he was that wasteful with energy in Itzulia. Certainly not when bearing in mind how well he did in Amstel, Flèche and LBL.
He did hesitate a in some scenarios in TDS, but that could also be because how his legs felt. I do think he might be struggling a bit with consistency.

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

well he is top ten in the world's ranking or just out of it so must be doing something right

I think that's the prime reason for my annoyance. To me he could be even higher on the table, racing a bit smarter.

Idk what races you have watched w skjelmose in them, it's obvious that race intelligence is a real strong feature with him

We can always poke holes in certain riders tactical decisions, especially since we can’t feel their legs. I do not agree that Skjeldmose is that bad at managing his race tactics.

OK maybe it's just me, but watching almost every race especially this season I'm left with a feeling he could have done even better with just a slightly cooler reading of things happening while going on.
Here, on the contrary, I would like some examples where he displayed he was smarter than his competitors.

I didn’t think he was that wasteful with energy in Itzulia. Certainly not when bearing in mind how well he did in Amstel, Flèche and LBL.

*edit*
OK, have to agree here - Amstel and Fléche - fully agree he used his energy right there.
LBL on the contrary. For the final 60K, and especially the final part after the Evenepoel jump at La Redoute, I was left with exactly the feeling I initially described. And substantiated by his own post race interview, being deeply disappointed, himself stating that he was convinced he clearly was the 2nd strongest guy in that race.

He did hesitate a in some scenarios in TDS, but that could also be because how his legs felt. I do think he might be struggling a bit with consistency.

And to me the consistency part is a direct result of the toll taken by using maybe a tad too much energy at the wrong moments.

OK, now have to admit I'm left with a nauseous feeling writing disparagingly about him.

I would like to give an example for his benefit (also to get rid of my negative thoughts): Etoile de Bessége - the stage to Le Mont Bouquet; Seizing the moment with a stage win, accompanied by the leader's jersey (that he loses it in the subsequent decisive ITT in Ales, I ofcourse cannot discredit him, in fact I think he used his energy properly, he just wasn't the strongest that day).

22 is still a young age. I just hope he learns quickly in this discipline.

 

[Peter von]

And to me the consistency part is a direct result of the toll taken by using maybe a tad too much energy at the wrong moments.

Yeah, that is very possible, at least it has to be part of the reason.

LBL on the contrary. For the final 60K, and especially the final part after the Evenepoel jump at La Redoute, I was left with exactly the feeling I initially described. And substantiated by his own post race interview, being deeply disappointed, himself stating that he was convinced he clearly was the 2nd strongest guy in that race.

yeah, I get that. I mostly read the frustration as him being caught in the wrong position when Evenepoel jumps, but there are 80 very decent bike riders trying to be in Remco's wheel when this happens(and their DS has been screaming this at them on the radio for the past 50k when it happens). And then MS played catch up and that is a good way to waste energy. But yes he was clearly frustrated with himself after the race and with good reason, but I also think it's a good sign he knows immediately he *** it and didn't start blaming the team..

But yeah we'll see next season and maybe later on in this one, if MS improves his ability to be in the right place at the right time. And also if Lidl sends some climbers with him to TdS* so they can actually defend a jersey if he takes it again.

*could be same principal in different race, maybe he does Dauphine so they can get Jumbo to dictate the race, makes it tactically a lot more managable, though much harder to win.

 

[Peter von]

I think that's the prime reason for my annoyance. To me he could be even higher on the table, racing a bit smarter.

Coming home from work yesterday, turning on the telly and seeing Mathias Skjelmose make his move when the front group was going very fast after Mads Pedersen set a strong pace... I see what you mean. Though it was probably in parts just do to the team tactics and the position he found himself in, but seemed like the wrong time to make a move, though it was probavly the right place for MS.

 

[Boehmand]

Interesting article on Skjelmose (have only read the free part).

He is apparently looking to emulate Vingegaard.

I guess that takes care of the question of whether he aims to become a GT GC rider.

Interview | Mattias Skjelmose wil zelfde aanpak als Jumbo-Visma: 'Ik wil in 2024 óók op hoogtestage in februari'

Mattias Skjelmose was een van de openbaringen van het wielerseizoen. De Deen won onder meer de Ronde van Zwitserland.

wielerrevue.nl