'The Tour de France is still the priority' - Mattias Skjelmose ruled out of Tour de Suisse by illness
2023 Tour de Suisse winner Mattias Skjelmose has confirmed that he will miss this year's race due to a stomach issue that has limited his training in recent weeks. He is still set to lead Lild-Trek at the Tour de France in July.
Mattias Skjelmose will miss the Tour de Suisse due to a recent illness, but the Dane’s participation at the Tour de France is not under threat. Tao Geoghegan Hart will lead Lidl-Trek’s general classification challenge at the Tour de Suisse in his absence while Skjelmose continues his preparations for July.
In a statement on Wednesday evening, Skjelmose explained that he had been troubled by the recurrence of a stomach infection ahead of the Tour de Suisse, a race he won in 2023.
“A few days ago, I shared that I’d been off the bike for about a week with a stomach infection, but that I was back training and starting to rebuild my strength and rhythm,” Skjelmose said. “Not long after, the illness came back – more intense than before, but fortunately it passed quickly. We’ve done a number of tests and are still waiting on some results to get a clearer picture of what’s been going on.
“After speaking with the team and my coach, we made the call not to race Tour de Suisse. There just isn’t enough time to get back to the level I want to be at. The focus now is on recovering properly, finding rhythm again, and rebuilding what I lost. Everything from here is about being ready for the Tour de France.”
The 24-year-old underlined his Grand Tour potential with a fine fifth-place finish at last year’s Vuelta a España, though he had initially hoped to ride the Giro d’Italia rather than the Tour in 2025. This will be Skjelmose’s second Tour appearance after a subdued showing on his debut two years ago.
Skjelmose enjoyed the high of victory at Amstel Gold Race in April, but he has also endured setbacks this season, most notably at Paris-Nice, when he crashed out on the final weekend while lying third overall.
“This season has been a quiet lesson in patience. Not everything breaks with noise - sometimes it just slips out of rhythm. That’s what this stretch has felt like,” Skjelmose said. “It’s been frustrating, yes. But I’ve learned to listen, not rush. To recalibrate without losing sight of the road ahead.
“This isn’t the first time things haven’t gone to plan - and it won’t be the last. But being honest about where I stand doesn’t make me any less committed. If anything, it makes the goal even clearer. The Tour de France is still the priority - and I’m fully focused on being ready.”
Lidl-Trek have enjoyed a fine 2025 season as a collective, with Skjelmose’s compatriot Mads Pedersen the leading light. Pedersen will miss the Tour, but Jonathan Milan will chase stage wins and the yellow jersey in the opening week, while Skjelmose and Geoghegan Hart are set to lead the team’s GC challenge.
