Tour de France focus keeps Skjelmose at altitude as Dane skips Danish Championships
Mattias Skjelmose will skip this week’s Danish Championships in Herning as the Lidl-Trek rider prioritises the final phase of his Tour de France preparation alongside teammate Juan Ayuso.
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The 25-year-old will travel directly from altitude training to a Lidl-Trek team session in Barcelona on Wednesday. Sports director Kim Andersen told Feltet that the team was satisfied with Skjelmose’s condition following the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes earlier this month.
Skjelmose finished seventh overall at the eight day race, while Ayuso placed fourth. Their cooperation helped ease questions surrounding Lidl-Trek’s Tour leadership structure, which had persisted since Ayuso’s move from UAE Team Emirates-XRG was announced last autumn.
Speaking during the race, Ayuso described questions about the leadership balance between the pair as “ridiculous”, pointing to how well they had worked together.
Lidl-Trek entered the final weekend with Ayuso as its main general classification contender, while Skjelmose rode in support on the summit finishes.
“He had an idea that he wanted to race, but he’s staying at altitude because things went well enough in the Dauphiné,” Andersen told Feltet. “He didn’t lack any speed, and he was very satisfied. They also have some team training in Barcelona on Wednesday, and it’s not that far from the altitude training to Barcelona.”
Skjelmose will miss both the time trial and Sunday’s road race at the Danish Championships. He last competed at the event in 2024, also in Herning, where he won the national time trial title. He skipped the 2025 championships for the same reason, choosing to protect his Tour de France preparation.
Andersen said there were no concerns about Skjelmose’s form ahead of July.
“Everything is going according to plan, and there’s nothing to worry about. There’s no illness or anything, so that’s great. In all areas he is also better than he has ever been. But you have to be that way today to keep up.”
Lidl-Trek is expected to build its 2026 Tour de France campaign around Ayuso, with Skjelmose taking on a key support role in the mountains. Mads Pedersen will lead the team’s challenge for the green jersey.
Jonathan Milan, winner of the 2025 Tour de France points classification, will skip the race after focusing on the Giro d’Italia earlier in the season.
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