Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) showed he is back on track for the Tour de France by winning the mountainous Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica race, a new event held in Andorra where so many riders reside during the season.
Skjelmose was supposed to ride the Critérium du Dauphiné but opted to miss the French race and then the Tour de Suisse after a stomach infection hit him after an altitude training camp.
He had not raced since Liége-Bastogne-Liége but showed he is in form by winning on the climb to the finish on the Coll de la Botella.
Skjelmose rode his own pace on the climb when Enric Mas (Movistar) sparked an early selection and then got back on in the final kilometre. He beat Cristián Rodríguez (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Mas in a climbers' sprint to the line.
Esteban Chaves (EF Education-EasyPost) was fourth, and Australian climber Sebastian Berwick (Caja Rural -Seguros RGA) was fifth.
"I was sick for a long time and missed the Dauphiné and Suisse, luckily I could do this race and now I think the shape is there for the Tour," Skjelmose said.
"I was feeling good all day, and the guys did a great job. I then did my own pace and knew I had a good sprint."
Lild-Trek have yet to confirm their Tour de France squad and their goals for the sport's biggest race, and so Skjelmose was cautious about his goals for July. He could target the general classification or target specific stages. Lild-Trek will target sprint stages with Jonathan Milan and also have Thibau Nys for hillier stages.
"We wanted to see how I was going in this race. We'll see for the TDF, but after this race, I'm feeling more confident. It's difficult to say what my goals will be, but I'm looking forward to the Tour de France," he said.
How it unfolded
This was the inaugural edition of the Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica, with Skjelmose's teammate Carlos Verona one of the organisers. The one-day event was tagged onto the block of the La Route d'Occitanie-CIC stage race in nearby France, with many of the riders residing in Andorra on the start line, including Skjelmose.
The race was supposed to cover 134km, but the risk of thunderstorms forced organisers to cut a gravel sector and the Collada de Beixalis, the penultimate climb of the day. That reduced the race to 114km, but it was still a race for the climbers.
Nine riders formed the early break, and they opened a two-minute lead. However, Lidl-Trek drove the chase to keep Skjelmose in contention. Indeed, the nine were caught on the descent of the Ordino before Lidl-Trek and Movistar led the peloton onto the Coll de la Cornella after 60km.
The riders avoided the thunderstorms but were caught in rain showers and took safety into their own hands by slowing the race when needed as they entered and left the tunnels.
Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma) attacked on the valley road and started the 10.7km Coll de La Botella climb to the line with a lead of 15 seconds. The long main-road climb was always going to make a huge selection, and Skjelmose accelerated with six kilometres to race.
Mas followed him, as did Rodríguez and Berwick, as others were distanced. Some attacks hurt Skjelmose, and he preferred to pace his effort. He gradually closed the gap, with Chaves doing the same to create a select front group that would fight for victory.
Mas tried to accelerate again, hurting Berwick, knowing he was not a favourite in a sprint finish. However, Skjelmose was more confident in his finish.
All the riders kicked as the barriers began, but Skjelmose had more speed, power and desire. He hit the front and was never challenged. He even had time to cross himself and celebrate a much-needed and very satisfying victory on his current local roads.
