"I think I won… Guys, I think I won," is what Mattias Skjelmose repeated to the Lidl-Trek team staff awaiting him past the finish line of the Amstel Gold Race, where he took the biggest win of his career on Sunday.
In total disbelief at the feat he'd just managed by outsprinting the world champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) to what will no doubt become a famous victory, the photo finish confirmed that Sjkelmose had defeated the two most complete riders in the world on their favoured terrain.
When he sat down for his press conference, he admitted that it may be some time yet before it fully dawns on him just what he'd managed in pipping Pogačar to the line, especially after revealing that he was happy to just be in such esteemed company coming into the final, ready to accept third place as a job well done.
"I think it's going to take some time before I actually realise just what happened," said Skjelmose, who stunned the two pre-race favourites.
Pogačar had looked set for a dominant solo victory when he attacked away on the Kruisberg after he and Julian Alaphilippe (Tudor) had distanced themselves from the remaining favourites 47km from the finish.
Skjelmose missed the move after getting stuck in the wheels and thought he'd again just be in the fight for second, as was the case in 2023, when he finished eighth at Amstel Gold 3:14 behind a solo Pogačar.
"I think it was Alaphilippe that actually attacked, and Tadej [Pogačar] followed. I was a bit sad because I got blocked by Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) otherwise I feel like I would have been with them, so that was a bit shit," said the Dane.
"When Tadej goes, you normally ride for second, so when I attacked on Keutenberg, it was for second place."
But after launching away from the chase group on the steepest road in the Netherlands, and being joined by Evenepoel 25km from the finish, Skjelmose was dragged back into contention by the Belgian. Evenepoel, who Skjelmose described as "Probably the best rider in the race", worked tirelessly on the front to reel back Pogačar's 30-second advantage, with the Dane unable to even pull through at times.
"I was telling Remco all the time that I was fucked and 'Please, pull on the climbs, I'm on the limit', and when we stopped, I only took pulls because I was riding for the podium," said Skjelmose.
"I think Remco did 80% and I did 20% of the work. Alone, I would never have caught Tadej. The best guy I could have had with me was Remco.
"I started to believe [we could catch Pogačar] after the climb after Cauberg, and then Remco did some really, really hard pulls. I was suffering just on the wheel, but on top of Cauberg the last time, I went to the front because I was really satisfied with just a podium place.
"I was just trying not to get dropped, I really had nothing left in the legs. I was super happy to be in this group, and I was thinking that third was going to be the best result."
Coming into the sprint on the iconic Berg en Terblijt final straight, Skjelmose only gave himself a one in 10 chance of coming out on top. But as it happens, that one perfect sprint would arrive at the 59th edition of Amstel Gold, managing to hold his effort long enough to overhaul Pogačar.
"I don't know, less than 10%," said Skjelmose, of the changes he gave himself going into the sprint-á-trois. "I always hope for the best result, of course, but I was on the limit since the second last time up the Cauberg. I didn't know I had any power left.
"[This win is] really important for us. I've been super unlucky and not given the team the results they deserve in the first part of the season. Being able to win this with the peloton that started today is really incredible for my future and for the team's future."
When it comes to Skjelmose's immediate future, this victory will now change how he's perceived for races going forward against the sport's superstars, and for the remaining two Ardennes Classics at La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
If he's going to compete with the two great champions he beat today, the Dane knows everything will have to go perfectly, however, his confidence won't be higher than it is now. He's managed to join an elite club of riders to beat both Pogačar and Evenepoel in the same one-day race.
"I don't know [how this win will change things], maybe the bigger stars in the sport might be looking a bit more to me," said Skjelmose.
He credited his personal domestique, Otto Vergaerde, for the work he did in keeping him safe before the main action, knowing that had the 255km before that sprint not gone how they did, he might not have had enough to snatch victory from the world champion.
"When you race guys like Remco and Tadej, you cannot put a foot wrong all day."
Skjelmose's first chance to not put a foot wrong against the Olympic champion and world champion again will arrive soon on Wednesday, at Flèche Wallonne, where, despite finishing second to Pogačar there in 2023, he's backing another one of his teammates to bring Lidl-Trek another victory.
"Of course, we have two cards to play, but on the Mur, I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is one guy in the world that can beat Tadej, and that is Thibau. And if he has his day, that is our card," said Skjelmose, with high praise for his Dutch teammate who finished 12th on his Amstel debut.
"Right now, I see one guy in the world beating Tadej [Pogačar] on the Mur de Huy, and that is Thibau Nys."
Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our 2025 Spring Classics coverage. Don't miss any of the breaking news, reports, and analysis from all the Cobbled Classics from Opening Weekend to the Ardennes Classics. Find out more.
