Photo: ANP
Danish rider Matthias Skellmos won the third stage in the Tour of Denmark and also took the lead in the general classification. The 22-year-old Lidl-Trek rider outlasted compatriot and teammate Mads Pedersen in the final of the 209km ride between Vejen and Vejle. In the last few hundred metres, which was a bit uphill, Skjelmose pulled away from the 2019 world champion.
The Danish champion has already won the Swiss championship this year. However, Skjelmose could not distinguish himself in the Tour de France, where Pedersen scored a stage victory. At the World Championships in Glasgow, Pedersen also competed for medals in the road race. However, the Dane had to settle for fourth place, behind world champion Mathieu van der Poel, Belgium’s Wott van Aert and Slovenia’s Tadezh Pogacar.
In front of their crowd at the Tour of Denmark, two Lidl-Trek riders added color to the third stage. Pederson jumped out of the front group 23km from the finish, after which Skjelmose made the jump. He joined his experienced team-mate with 7.5km to go and then turned out to have the most energy left.
Skjelmose is ten seconds ahead of Pedersen in the general classification. Magnus Kurt Nielsen was third in the stage, while the Dane was third in the standings, 50 seconds behind.
Dutch runner Fabio Jacobsen won stage two on Wednesday after finishing second in the opening stage.
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