Forget Tadej Pogacar, Mattias Skjelmose is winning the Tour de France... of nose strips

Mattias Skjelmose is catching the eye at the Tour de France - not just with his performances, but also his ever-changing nose strips. The Dane has embraced nasal fashion, sporting everything from Lidl logos to cartoon bunnies, polka dots and Bastille Day tributes. While others dabble, Skjelmose has turned the humble nose strip into a personal canvas. Here, we run through his artistic efforts.

Mattias Skjelmose is not only flying high in the Tour de France GC - he is also leading the race in nasal fashion.

The Danish rider (Lidl-Trek) sits 15th in the overall standings, 7'02'' adrift of yellow jersey holder Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost). But beyond the battle on the road, Skjelmose is turning heads with his ever-changing collection of nose strips, including a patriotic tricolore for Bastille Day.

He is not alone in the nasal peacocking. Jonas Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson were among the Visma-Lease a Bike riders rocking bright pink nose strips on Stage 10 to honour Simon Yates' recent Giro d'Italia victory - but no one has embraced the accessory game quite like Skjelmose.

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Nose strips are typically used in cycling to aid breathing - but for Skjelmose, they are also a canvas for creative flair.

Of course, he is not just an artist. He stunned Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) to win the Amstel Gold Race in April, and claimed the best young rider jersey at last year’s Vuelta a Espana. Now, he is bringing that same panache to his nostrils.

Shall we take a look at his best designs from the opening block of racing? Yes. Yes we should.

Stage 1 - Ultimate Company Man

Skjelmose kicked things off in Lille with a bold Lidl-branded strip, flying the flag for his supermarket backers.

Stage 3 - Watermelon sugar

According to fashion insiders, watermelon polka dots are a thing. Skjelmose - ever the trendsetter - rolled with a hefty fruit-themed spotted strip to match.

Stage 4 - Bunnies

From a distance, a regular strip. Zoom in? Cartoon bunnies lurking on each side. Delightfully weird.

Stage 6 - Jersey tribute

On a bruising ride into Normandy, Skjelmose paid tribute to all four Tour jerseys - yellow, green, polka dot and white - in a single multicoloured masterstroke.

Stage 7 - Croissants galore

Croissants may not feature on the French flag, but Skjelmose knows true national symbols when he sees them. The flaky pastry got its moment in the sun.

Stage 8 - Ultimate Company Man II

Not content with a one-off nod, Skjelmose doubled down on the sponsor love - returning with an even louder Lidl tribute on the second Saturday.

Stage 9 - The yellow nosey

Skjelmose went full meta, scrawling "Tour de France" down his yellow nose strip in black ink.

Stage 10 - Bastille Day special

On France’s national day, he got patriotic with a sharp tricolore marked with the date 14-07 - marking the storming of the Bastille, and the birth of the revolution.

Mattias Skjelmose on Stage 10

Image credit: Getty Images

What on earth will he come up with next?

Find out with us, as the Tour continues live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

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