Rasmussen belittles Roglic a bit with well-meaning advice toward Danish hope Skjelmose
CyclingTuesday, 10 September 2024 at 12:12
Michael Rasmussen hopes that Mattias Skjelmose will make another dash for the Giro d'Italia after his successful debut at the Vuelta a España. The former rider states in Ekstra Bladet
that despite his fifth place and white jersey in the Vuelta, Skjelmose has shown where his weaknesses lie. According to Rasmussen, his compatriot from Lidl-Trek will find a round tailored to him in the Giro. We suspect the comments about the Vuelta will fall somewhat short with Primoz Roglic.
Skjelmose rode the Vuelta a España in recent weeks. A fifth place in the GC and the white jersey made for an overjoyed reckoning in Madrid. The big question now is: what's next for the 23-year-old Lidl-Trek leader? He has done all three grand tours once: the Giro in 2022, the Tour in 2023, and the Vuelta in 2024. A role as a leader in the grand tours seems irreversible.
"I had tipped him for a place between number six and 10 in the GC," Rasmussen admits honestly. According to the controversial Dane, however, Skjelmose had some luck. "Nobody expected Mikel Landa to lose three minutes right before the final weekend suddenly. And no one had predicted that the UAE-Team Emirates would not have a single rider among the first five. Skjelmose also had the advantage that Florian Lipowitz was riding for Primoz Roglic and not for his classification."
Read more below the photo.
Mattias Skjelmose
Rasmussen calls Vuelta merely "backup" for Skjelmose
"Having said that, you only finish fifth in the Vuelta if you have been riding steady. He had one of his best days on the bike, days that were better than his overall victory in the Tour of Switzerland," Rasmussen then praises. With that, Rasmussen adds, "Mattias had problems with the heat, so in that respect, the weather in the Giro d'Italia suits him better. There, it is much cooler; maybe that is the race for 2025, where he can go for the podium. Tadej Pogacar didn't exactly face phenomena this year, with Daniel Felipe Martínez and Geraint Thomas joining him on the podium."
Doing well in the Giro will eventually open the Tour de France door. Skjelmose already started there once in 2023 with ambitions, but after his overall win in Switzerland, the Tour was somewhat disappointing. He could still work for Giulio Ciccone's polka dot jersey in the third week. "The Tour is a completely different dimension. If Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard are competing, it goes quickly to the top. Skjelmose has to go and try it in the Tour, though, because the Vuelta a España is just a backup, like Roglic is now."
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024