Skjelmose soldiers on at Vuelta despite feeling ‘sick and empty’

Lidl-Trek sports director Kim Andersen confirmed before the stage that the Dane would take the start, saying there was no doubt over his participation.

According to Andersen, as reported by Feltet, Skjelmose is ready to defend his position in the general classification, where he sits eighth after losing time in Thursday’s 32 kilometre test.

The 25 year old had endured a difficult afternoon against the clock, finishing 28th and conceding 1:54 to stage winner Stefan Küng. The result was well below expectations for a rider who has previously shown himself to be among the stronger time triallists in the peloton.

Skjelmose has been dealing with a cold for several days, however, and Andersen admitted after the stage that his rider had very little left in the tank.

“It was a big fight,” Andersen told TV 2 Sport afterwards. “We were a little optimistic in the morning, but after the recon we were less optimistic. He is empty and he is also a little sick. That does not make things any easier.”

His performance underlined how much the Vuelta has changed for Skjelmose over the past week.

After stage nine, he had climbed to sixth overall and appeared to be in contention for a strong general classification result. Since then, he has gradually lost ground, particularly when the race has headed into the mountains.

Thursday’s time trial continued that trend. Skjelmose was beaten by several riders who would normally be expected to lose time to him in the discipline, including Jakob Omrzel, Clément Berthet and Cristian Rodriguez.

Andersen played down expectations of a sudden turnaround after the stage, especially with two decisive mountain days still to come.

“It would take a miracle if we were to have really big expectations,” he said. “We have been a little behind on all the mountain stages.”

The immediate priority is therefore to get through Friday without suffering further damage.

Andersen does not expect the stage to be among the hardest of the final week, making it an opportunity for Skjelmose to protect his position and, if possible, recover before a much more important day for the general classification on Saturday.

His illness is another setback in what has become a difficult Vuelta for Lidl-Trek’s Danish leaders.

Mads Pedersen was forced to leave the race before stage 11 after also battling illness. The former world champion had struggled to reproduce his usual level during the opening half of the race before the team decided his recovery should take priority.

That recovery carries extra importance with the World Championships in Montréal approaching, where both Pedersen and Skjelmose are expected to lead Denmark’s challenge in the elite men’s road race.

Pedersen is already out of the Vuelta, while Skjelmose is still fighting to hold eighth overall. Denmark could therefore arrive at the Worlds with question marks over the condition of both of its leaders.