Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (born 26 September 2000) is a Danish professional cyclist who rides for UCI WorldTeamLidl–Trek.[5]
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 WorldTeamTrek-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.[6]
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.[9][10] 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.[11]
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 WorldTeamTrek-Segafredo towards the end of the season.[9] He was subsequently offered a professional contract for the seasons starting in 2021.[12][13] 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.[14] That same season, he selected for his first Grand Tour, as he was named in the startlist for the Giro d'Italia.[15] He achieved his first pro victories in the Tour de Luxembourg, where he won a stage and the overall classification.[16]
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.[21] 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."[22][23]
2024
In 2024, Skjelmose finished fourth in the 2024 Paris–Nice; he won Stage 6 after outsprinting two other riders who were part of a three-man breakaway. In April, he placed third overall in the Tour of the Basque Country.
