The Wax Behind the Win
How Cyclowax Helped Mattias Skjelmose Conquer the Amstel Gold Race
On April 20th, Mattias Skjelmose delivered one of the most thrilling finishes of the 2025 cycling season. Surging past titans Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel in a photo-finish sprint, the young Danish rider secured victory at the Amstel Gold Race—his most prestigious win to date.
But in elite cycling, success is never the result of a single moment. It’s the product of preparation, precision, and marginal gains. And one of those key gains? His chain.
“Mattias saved just the right amount of watts with his hot waxed chain.”
— Glen Leven, Performance Manager at Lidl-Trek
That waxed chain wasn’t just any wax. It came from Cyclowax, the brand redefining drivetrain efficiency with hot wax technology engineered for pro-level performance.
To celebrate the launch of the brand, a Neversecond pop-up will take place in Girona during the month of The Traka — Europe’s premier gravel race. Located at La Comuna, Girona's go-to destination for coffee and food, the pop-up will serve as both a point of sale and a brand introduction hub. This activation aims to immerse local and visiting athletes in the Neversecond experience, making it the perfect way to kickstart the brand’s journey across the Iberian Peninsula.
Shaving Watts Where It Counts
Races like Amstel Gold are unforgiving. With over 250 km of rolling terrain and relentless surges, every watt matters. That’s where Cyclowax comes in. Lab-tested and race-proven, their hot wax treatment delivers consistent watt savings across race distances. In optimal conditions, riders can gain up to 4 watts of efficiency over traditional oil-lubed chains.
In a finish where inches separate legends from footnotes, four watts can mean the difference between third place and a podium celebration with arms raised.
The Road to Partnership: From Pedersen to the Performance Lab
Cyclowax’s partnership with Lidl-Trek began not with contracts, but with curiosity. During a winter training camp, World Champion Mads Pedersen was handed a freshly waxed chain. The result?
“I never want to go back using oil. My chain is 100% clean, smooth and feels really fast,”
— Mads Pedersen
That one sentence set the wheels in motion. With Pedersen’s endorsement, the next step was earning the trust of Lidl-Trek’s head of performance, Glen Leven. Cyclowax ran a series of rigorous tests with the team to benchmark watt losses over distance—and the results spoke for themselves.
From smooth tarmac to cobbled hell, Cyclowax consistently outperformed traditional lubrication. Take Paris-Roubaix, for instance—one of the sport’s harshest tests—where Cyclowax saved up to 8 watts over the course of the race.
More Than Just Marginal Gains
This partnership is more than a technical alliance—it’s a shared commitment to performance excellence. From lab to launchpad, Cyclowax now supports Lidl-Trek with customized chain waxing routines based on race profiles, weather conditions, and rider feedback. It’s the kind of innovation that doesn’t just support a team—it powers its wins.
Mattias Skjelmose’s victory wasn’t luck. It was legs, strategy—and a chain running smoother, faster, and more efficiently than the rest.
In a sport where every detail counts, Cyclowax is proving that performance isn’t just about pushing harder—it’s about riding smarter.
