This time last year, Mattias Skjelmose was plotting a careful route to the 2025 Tour de France which involved taking on his first Grand Tour as leader, the Vuelta a España, and proving to himself he could cope with the arduous nature of a three-week GC bid.
However, after succeeding in that aim at the Vuelta, where he finished fifth overall, won the best young rider's white jersey and only got better as the race went on, Skjelmose changed his ambition to wanting another year of building at the Giro d'Italia.
