Skujins: It will be hard to trump 2018
Toms Skujins’ career has been something of a slow burn, but the 27-year-old Latvian has continued to grow in strength and tactical nous with each passing season. That showed in 2018 when he enjoyed his most successful season to date.
Last year saw him win a race at the Challenge Mallorca, a stage of the Tour of California – a win that was perhaps most notable for his dance move celebration as he crossed the line – and the Tre Valli Varesine, no doubt the biggest win of his career. He was also selected for the Trek-Segafredo squad for the Tour de France, where he took the mountains jersey in the opening week and wore it for four days in his debut Tour.
It was a year Skujins says he won’t forget, but he’s not resting on his laurels as he heads into his fourth season at WorldTour level.
“I want to improve in every single aspect of my riding as I do every year,” Skujins told Cyclingnews.
“I aspire to be a rider who can be put into any race and do well and do what the team needs to do, be that mountains, cobbles or whatever. So far, I’ve accomplished that, and I think I’ve proved it several times. I just want to be a reliable rider and keep that progression going. Personally, I’d like to do better in the Ardennes but then again, I’m never good in the early season.
“It will be hard to trump [2018] because there are a lot of special things about it. It felt like it started on a high and it never came down, it just kept getting higher. It was definitely a year that I will not forget anytime soon.”
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