Mattias Skjelmose called Denmark national team coach Michael Mørkøv on Monday morning and pulled the plug on his Worlds. The 25-year-old Lidl-Trek rider had finished 13th overall at the Vuelta a España a day earlier, capping a season in which he also completed the Tour de France.
His words to TV 2 Sport left no room for interpretation.
“It’s probably not healthy in relation to the World Championships, but I told Michael about an hour ago that I have to cancel because my body can’t take it anymore,” Skjelmose said.
“I’ll go home and get some rest, and I don’t think I can give the national team what I should be able to give.”
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Charmig steps in
Anthon Charmig, the 28-year-old Uno-X Mobility rider who finished third at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec on Friday, replaces Skjelmose in the Danish selection.
Mørkøv said the Tour-Vuelta gamble had always been a known risk.
“It’s a premise I’ve always agreed with. Ever since the spring, when I knew he was going to ride the Tour and Vuelta,” the coach said.
Vingegaard’s season already over
Jonas Vingegaard’s absence was settled almost a month before Skjelmose’s. The two-time Tour de France winner, who added the Giro d’Italia to his palmarès earlier this year, crashed at the Tour and fractured his collarbone. His Visma | Lease a Bike team confirmed on 17 August that he would not race again in 2026.
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“Due to the collarbone injury, the start of my training has been delayed and it is not possible for me to get back to top level,” Vingegaard said in the team announcement.
Marc Reef, Visma’s head of racing, said the priority was now the next campaign.
“It is best for him to focus on 2027,” Reef said.
Pedersen alone at the top for Denmark
Mads Pedersen now leads the Danish squad, supported by riders including Kasper Asgreen, Michael Valgren and Mikkel Bjerg, but without either of the country’s Grand Tour finishers alongside him. Mørkøv has still publicly set the world title as the Danish target.
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The elite men’s road race runs on Sunday 27 September on a 13.4-kilometre circuit around Mount Royal, with 16 laps and 4,304 metres of total climbing.
