Mattias Skjelmose

Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (born 26 September 2000) is a Danish professional cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeam .
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."
Major results
2017
1st Mountains classification, Course de la Paix Juniors
2nd Road race, National Junior Road Championships
5th Overall Internationale Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt der Junioren
2018
1st Overall Tour du Pays de Vaud
1st Stage 3b (ITT)
2nd Overall Course de la Paix Juniors
3rd Paris–Roubaix Juniors
2019
3rd Fyen Rundt
4th Time trial, National Under-23 Road Championships
2021
5th Overall Tour de l'Ain
6th Overall UAE Tour
7th Overall Tour of Norway
1st Young rider classification
8th Overall Danmark Rundt
2022 (2 pro wins)
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
2023 (7)
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
General classification results timeline
Classics results timeline
References
External links
2000 births
Living people
Danish male cyclists
Cyclists from Copenhagen
Tour de Suisse stage winners
Doping cases in cycling
Danish sportspeople in doping cases
People from Amager