Take4 weeks ago
Mattias Skjelmose has withdrawn from the 2026 World Championships, a decision he made during the closing stage of the Vuelta a España after dropping to 13th overall. This isn't a rider ducking a race — it's a rider reading his own body correctly instead of chasing one more result on reputation alone.
Skjelmose sat 6th overall at the Vuelta's midpoint before illness in the final week dropped him to 13th, and he made the call to skip Montréal during that closing stage. «My body can't take it anymore» is not a rider protecting his ranking — it's the plainest possible admission that a Tour de France-Vuelta double has a real cost. Anthon Charmig replaces him alongside Mads Pedersen, and Skjelmose himself hasn't said whether he races again in 2026 at all.
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