Mathias Skjelmose, who is considered an outsider for the overall ranking of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, got off to a very strong start in the Spanish Grand Tour on Saturday afternoon with the individual time trial of the first stage around Lisbon.
With the 13th fastest time of the day, only Primoz Roglic and Joao Almeida stopped the clock. Among the contenders for the red jersey, only the former Danish Tour de Suisse winner and cyclist was faster. Therefore, there is plenty of reason for optimism for Skjelmose and Lidl-Trek after the opening stage of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana.
“This is the greatest performance I’ve ever shown on a time trial bike,” Skjelmose said happily in an interview after the stage on his team’s official website. “It was a great performance and I’m happy with the result. At the moment I don’t think I could have gone any faster.”
Despite the positive aspects he can take from this start, Skjelmose does not want to put too much into his head. After all, there is only one day left until the end of a three-week stage race. “It’s always good to start well. In Denmark we say: ‘A good start is half the battle’, so we have done well now and we only need 20 stages to go,” the 23-year-old sums up.
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