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Muted celebrations as Mattias Skjelmose earns the Tour de Suisse title

Hugo Houle finishes 21st on GC

June 18, 2023
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Mattias Skjelmose rallied in the latter half of Sunday’s concluding time trial to win his first WorldTour stage race, the 86th Tour de Suisse. The Dane from Trek-Segafredo held off a rampaging Juan Ayuso to achieve the result of his career so far. Ayuso took the day’s honours, his second stage victory of the race. The celebrations, indeed the entire stage, was muted under the dark cloud of Gino Mäder’s death. Hugo Houle was top Canadian in 37th; he would finish 21st on the GC.

The champion and the runner-up embrace after the stage.


The Situation

Mattias Skjelmose faced a tall order of staving off Saturday’s winner Remco Evenepoel to win the Tour de Suisse. He could take heart that the Belgian was only 13 seconds faster in the opening time trial, which was half the length of Sunday’s.

1) Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark/Trek-Segafredo)
2) Felix Gall (Austria/AG2R-Citroën) +0:08
3) Juan Ayuso (Spain/UAE-Emirates) +0:18
4) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal-QuickStep) +0:46

The Course

Sunday’s conclusion was a 25.7-km chrono with a 1.6-km, 8.2 percent climb just before the second intermediate time check.

TotalEnergies’ Pole Maciej Bodnar set an early benchmark of 34:29 but he was just one in a series of chaps who were bumped off the hotseat. Bodnar was soon looking up at 14 guys, including Swiss Stefan Bissegger, who ruled the roost with 32:48.

With Hugo Houle–20th at the start of the day–steaming towards the first intermediate time check, the top-10 started on course. Although it looked like Wout Van Aert might kick Bissegger off his throne, the Swiss time held fast.

Evenepoel cracked the best first intermediate time check at 12:00. Ayuso set the third fastest time there, five seconds slower than the world champion. Skjelmose was in trouble early and Gall was even in worse shape.

Evenepoel then set the best time at the second intermediate time check. Oh yeah? retorted Ayuso, posting up six seconds faster. Behind, Skjelmose caught and passed poor Gall.

Just after Evenepoel usurped Bissegger’s place with 32:33, Ayuso went one better and stopped the clock with 32:25. It was nail-biting time as the Dane came whipping into the final 200 metres. He held onto the lead by nine seconds.

2023 Tour de Suisse Stage 8
1) Juan Ayuso (Spain/UAE-Emirates) 32:25
2) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal-QuickStep) +0:08
3) Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark/Trek-Segafredo) +0:09
37) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +1:37
62) Nick Zukowsky (Canada/Q36.5) +2:23

2023 Tour de Suisse Final GC
1) Mattias Skjelmose (Denmark/Trek-Segafredo)
2) Juan Ayuso (Spain/UAE-Emirates) +0:18
3) Remco Evenepoel (Belgium/Soudal-QuickStep) +0:46
21) Hugo Houle (Canada/Israel-Premier Tech) +20:42
66) Nick Zukowsky (Canada/Q36.5) +53:06