Mattias Skjelmose looks at polka dot jersey in upcoming Tour de France with more than a slanted eye

Skjelmose is known for speaking from the heart, and this occasion was no different, just two days before the Tour’s Grand Départ. A lingering infection kept knocking him back during his preparation. “At first we didn’t really know what it was. I just kept getting sick on and off, and it really started to chip away at my motivation.”

“There was one morning where I just sat on the couch staring into space for an hour, not even wanting to make myself breakfast,” the Dane admitted. “My wife helped pull me through that period.” He did manage to ride one race before the Tour — and won it, no less — in Andorra.

Still, he doesn’t see that as an ideal benchmark. “Eighty percent of the peloton came from Occitanie and had to travel a long way to get to Andorra. I was super motivated and had already spent five weeks at altitude, so that gave me a big edge. Of course, I would’ve preferred to win by a full minute, but I still beat some solid riders. Enric Mas, for example, had just placed sixth in the Dauphiné.”

'It's hard to say exactly where I am at the moment. I only have my own form as a benchmark and when I looked at the Tour of Switzerland and Daupiné like that, they were riding insanely hard,' the Amstel Gold Race winner outlined. 'Harder than ever. I myself did everything as well as I could given the circumstances and then we'll see if it's going to be enough to figure something out.'

'So what exactly I want to achieve is also hard to say,' he states 'The first week is very difficult, especially because I have to do it alone. After the time trial I will see where I stand, but I wouldn't have a problem if I had to focus on stages or the mountain jersey either. In the first week we will go for Thibau, because he is practically here for those stages. He's our best option there.'

'My illness has not improved my outlook for this Tour. I start here without support on the flat, so that makes it difficult,' continued Skjelmose, who was originally supposed to go for a GC. Bodyguard Otto Vergaerde, for example, was left at home. 'It was a difficult decision, but Jonathan is the main man and so he will have plenty of support. So the fact that we don't have a lot of men uphill is also reflected in the team. I have had Otto by my side every race so far and I think we will see him in the Tour in the future.'

While most of his teammates are targeting the first half of the race, Skjelmose hopes to shine in the second. “I took a gamble by doing seven weeks at altitude for this Tour, and I’m hoping that’ll pay off later in the race. I’ve never really gone for stage wins before, and maybe that could be fun to try. There’s no pressure from the team. The GC isn’t the main goal, and I think a stage win or the polka dot jersey would be a great result for me.”

Skjelmose has already looked into the points distribution for the mountain classification. “There are a lot of tough mountain stages. The Col de la Loze offers double points and comes at the end of a stage, so maybe Jonas or Tadej will scoop those up. That would make things difficult. But it’s a good Tour for the mountains classification, because not many points are up for grabs in the first week. I’m definitely not going to chase a top fifteen finish in GC if I have a shot at the polka dot jersey and stage wins,” he reiterated.

“Danish riders have a good history with the King of the Mountains jersey — Bjarne Riis and Michael Rasmussen both won it. And more recently, guys like Magnus Cort and Michael Mørkøv have worn the jersey,” he recalled. “In 2023, I helped Giulio Ciccone win the mountains classification, and I really enjoyed that. It looked good on him — maybe it’ll suit me too.” Still, Skjelmose admits it’s hard to pin down a clear objective. “The first week will be tough, especially since I’ll be pretty isolated. After the time trial I’ll see where I stand, but I wouldn’t mind shifting focus to stages or the polka dot jersey. In the first week, we’ll be going for Thibau, because he’s basically here for those types of finishes. He’s our best shot.”