Mattias Skjelmose wrapped an excellent Vuelta a Espana with an 8th place in the final time trial. The Lidl-Trek rider lost some ground in the standings at the end of the first racing block, but since then he made no little to no mistakes, gradually moving up the standings to ultimately enter the top-5 in Madrid. And as a bonus, he takes home the white jersey too.
“Yes, job is done!” Skjelmose sighed in relief at the organiser’s microphone after the time trial. “I wasn’t feeling very good, to be honest, but I think none of the GC guys were feeling really good. It’s been a crazy hard Vuelta, emptying the tank almost every day, no easy riding almost from Portugal. I think everybody started to feel it.”
The Danish time trial champion wasn’t particularly surprised by his performance. “Confident is a big word, but I know we have good equipment, I know I can do good time trials, and I knew that, if everything was right, I could do it. And we did it today.”
Entering the race, the 23-year-old had some doubts, but with this GC result, he can look towards brighter future. “This is more a milestone than a breakthrough. I think my breakthrough was more at the Tour de Suisse last year. It is my first Grand Tour GC, and to finish 5th in such a hard Vuelta, with the guys in front and the guys I have behind me is a really great result for me.”
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