Danish cyclist (born 2000)
Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (born 26 September 2000) is a Danish professional cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam Lidl–Trek.
A promising youth rider, Skjelmose finished in top positions in junior categories of major races, and won the Tour du Pays de Vaud in 2018. Shortly after, he had a setback after receiving a ten-month suspension due to a doping test revealing traces of the performance-enhancing drugs originating from dietary supplements. He returned to racing in 2019, and initially joined UCI Continental team Leopard TOGT Pro Cycling before turning professional in 2021 with UCI WorldTeam Trek-Segafredo, after riding for the latter as a stagiare since 2020. He experienced a major breakthrough in 2023, finishing second behind Tadej Pogačar in La Flèche Wallonne, and winning the Tour de Suisse.
Career.
Junior career.
Skjelmose was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, and grew up on Amager. He started cycling at local club Amager Cykle Ring, where he rode between 2012 and 2016.
Skjelmose finished second at the 2017 Danish National Road Race Championships junior category. At the Peace Race Juniors in 2018, he finished second behind Remco Evenepoel. The same year he finished third at the Paris–Roubaix Juniors. On 26 May 2018, Skjelmose won an individual time trial in the Tour du Pays de Vaud, and later that same day, he also finished 22nd in a regular road stage. The following day, he concluded by winning the overall classification of the Swiss junior stage race.
2018 doping case.
On 26 May 2018, during the Tour du Pays de Vaud, a doping test conducted on Skjelmose revealed traces of the substance methylhexanamine, a performance-enhancing drug prohibited during competitions. He claims that it originated from one of the dietary supplements he had taken. After the case was processed by the Cycling Anti-Doping Foundation (CADF), he was sentenced to a ten-month suspension by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for violating anti-doping regulations. He initiated the suspension on 7 July 2018, and the suspension lasted until 6 May 2019. Skjelmose was only 17 years old at the time of the positive doping test. Therefore, the Danish Cycling Federation (DCU) did not expect to see his name or the verdict in the media, as they had previously been informed by the UCI that the verdict would not be made public.
Professional career.
In 2020, Skjelmose initially joined the UCI Continental team Leopard TOGT Pro Cycling in the senior category and later became a trainee for the UCI WorldTeam Trek-Segafredo towards the end of the season. He was subsequently offered a professional contract for the seasons starting in 2021. In his first season with Trek, he finished sixth overall in the UAE Tour, a UCI World Tour stage race. In the Tour of Norway, he finished seventh in the general classification and won the young rider classification. At the beginning of the 2022 season, he finished second on the final stage of the Tour de la Provence, a mountain finish, which propelled him to third place overall and earned him the title of the best young rider. That same season, he selected for his first Grand Tour, as he was named in the startlist for the Giro d'Italia. He achieved his first pro victories in the Tour de Luxembourg, where he won a stage and the overall classification.
2023.
On 19 April 2023, Skjelmose finished in second place at La Flèche Wallonne, at the top of the Mur de Huy, just behind Tadej Pogačar. In June 2023, he achieved his first victories in a UCI World Tour event by winning stage 3 in Villars-sur-Ollon, as well as the overall classification of the Tour de Suisse, in front of Juan Ayuso and world champion Remco Evenepoel.
In June 2023, he was named in Trek-Lidl's startlist for the Tour de France, and was seen as a wildcard for the overall classification. His performances in the 2023 season were praised by Lance Armstrong: "If you're talking all day long about Vingegaard and Pogačar, who's number three... boy, I feel like he's gonna start trickling into the top."
2024.
In 2024, Skjelmose finished fourth in the 2024 Paris–Nice; he won Stage 6 after outsprinting two other riders who were part of a three-man breakaway. In April, he placed third overall in the Tour of the Basque Country.
Major results.
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 1st Mountains classification, Course de la Paix Juniors
 2nd Road race, National Junior Road Championships
 5th Overall Internationale Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt der Junioren
 1st Overall Tour du Pays de Vaud
1st Stage 3b (ITT)
 2nd Overall Course de la Paix Juniors
 3rd Paris–Roubaix Juniors
 3rd Fyen Rundt
 4th Time trial, National Under-23 Road Championships
 5th Overall Tour de l'Ain
 6th Overall UAE Tour
 7th Overall Tour of Norway
1st Young rider classification
 8th Overall Danmark Rundt
 1st Overall Tour de Luxembourg
1st Young rider classification
1st Stage 4 (ITT)
 2nd Overall Tour de l'Ain
1st Points classification
1st Young rider classification
 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
 3rd Overall Tour de la Provence
1st Young rider classification
 3rd Overall Danmark Rundt
 3rd Overall Tour de Wallonie
 5th Overall Route d'Occitanie
 8th Clásica de San Sebastián
 10th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
 National Road Championships
1st Road race
2nd Time trial
 1st Overall Tour de Suisse
1st Young rider classification
1st Stage 3
 1st Maryland Cycling Classic
 2nd Overall Étoile de Bessèges
1st Young rider classification
1st Stage 4
 2nd Overall Danmark Rundt
1st Stage 3
 2nd La Flèche Wallonne
 3rd Faun-Ardèche Classic
 3rd GP Miguel Induráin
 5th Overall Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var
1st Points classification
1st Stage 2
 6th La Drôme Classic
 8th Amstel Gold Race
 9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 9th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
 10th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
 1st Time trial, National Road Championships
 3rd Overall Tour de Suisse
1st Young rider classification
 3rd Overall Tour of the Basque Country
 3rd Faun-Ardèche Classic
 4th Overall Paris–Nice
1st Stage 6
 5th Overall Vuelta a España
1st Young rider classification
 5th La Drôme Classic
References.
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