‘No one can take that role from me yet’: Skjelmose lays claim to Lidl-Trek's Grand Tour leadership

Mattias Skjelmose has no intention of giving up his place as one of Lidl-Trek’s main Grand Tour leaders.

After finishing sixth at the Tour de France in July, the Dane feels he has something tangible to point towards when the conversation turns to leadership within a team that continues to add more and more general classification talent.

“After the Tour, I’m more confident in the role and I trust my own abilities more,” Skjelmose told TV 2 Sport after the Vuelta.

His comments come at an interesting moment.

Lidl-Trek have now confirmed the signing of Félix Gall for 2027 after a season in which the Austrian finished second at the Giro d’Italia and third at the Vuelta a España. Jordan Jegat is also on his way to the team after recording his second consecutive top 10 finish at the Tour de France.

Add Ayuso, who joined Lidl-Trek ahead of this season, and Derek Gee-West, and the team is assembling an unusually deep group of riders capable of targeting Grand Tour classifications.

For Skjelmose, however, the Tour remains the most important piece of evidence.

“I did finish sixth in the Tour de France, which I think is a relatively good result,” he said. “As far as I know, nobody else on the team who is here right now has achieved a better result in the Tour. So no one can take that role away from me yet.”

There is, however, one footnote to that claim: Gall, who had not yet signed for Lidl-Trek when Skjelmose made those comments, finished fifth at the 2025 Tour, one place higher than the Dane this year.

Questions about Lidl-Trek’s leadership are nothing new for Skjelmose.

When Ayuso’s move from UAE Team Emirates-XRG was announced last September, the Dane admitted he had been surprised by the transfer and had not been informed beforehand. Ayuso responded through the media, creating the impression of tension before they had even become teammates.

By Lidl-Trek’s first team gathering, however, the pair had cleared the air. Sports director Kim Andersen said the controversy had grown from comments taken out of context and translation issues.

The more important test came on the road.

At the Tour-Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in June, they raced together properly for the first time, sharing opportunities and working for each other when required. On the final stage, Skjelmose committed himself to Ayuso’s bid for the overall victory.

“Skjelly rode an amazing pull for me,” Ayuso said afterwards.

The Spaniard had already dismissed suggestions that shared leadership would be a problem.

“To be honest, these questions are ridiculous to me,” he said. “We are teammates and we are both here to help each other. Whoever is strongest will then get the result.”

Skjelmose agreed. “I’m happy that we’ve been able to show that we can both be team leaders at the same time.”

Skjelmose finished sixth at the Tour de France before heading to the Vuelta, where illness disrupted his race and left him 13th overall.

Despite the difficult end to his season, Lidl-Trek’s confidence in him has not changed. The team still sees Skjelmose as a rider with room to grow and views his first season with two Grand Tours as part of that development.

“We want to develop ‘Skelly’,” Schleck told TV 2 Sport. “He has many years ahead of him, and we want to shape him for the future.”

The physical toll of the Vuelta eventually forced Skjelmose to withdraw from the World Championships, but Schleck believes the difficult weeks in Spain can still prove valuable.

“He went through some difficult moments, and he overcame them with his strength,” Schleck said. “We want a better Mattias next year, and having ridden two Grand Tours in one season, also with the difficult moments he has gone through, will make him stronger.”

Skjelmose sees it in much the same way.

The idea behind racing both the Tour and Vuelta was to expose his body to a workload it had never experienced before, in the hope that it will pay off later.

“That has been the plan, to push the body so far that it can build something it hasn’t had before,” Skjelmose said.

“We’ll only find out in a couple of months. But I’m convinced that when I get home and recover, it will be good.”

The competition around Skjelmose is growing, but so is Lidl-Trek’s belief in what he can still become.