It was a strong wave of emotion that enveloped Matias Malmberg after crossing the finish line in first place in the opening stage of the Sibiu Tour 2026. The Danish rider from Swat Club had never raised his arms to the sky in victory in a race of 1.1 level or higher before today, and above all, he didn't believe he could manage it even now until the very last hundreds of meters when he realized that his finishing move would come off successfully.

Incredulous and filled with genuine happiness, just moments after the finish line, the twenty-five-year-old from Frederiksberg didn't hide his tears of joy and contentment for a result of considerable significance that came at the end of a stage that saw him launch himself in a breakaway for a simple reason: to avoid running unnecessary risks by staying in the bunch.

"This morning, arriving here after waking up at 7, I told Mads (Andersen, ed.) that I was starting to feel the tension. So we set off and right after the transfer section there was a big crash and then I thought 'To hell with it, I'll try to get into a breakaway' because it seemed too dangerous to stay in the bunch and that's exactly what I did: once four or five of us went clear, I attacked too and in the end it went pretty well. I really didn't want to risk my life racing in the peloton" revealed the Scandinavian rider before explaining better what happened in the final decisive kilometers.

"The finale was a bit complicated. The cooperation with the other guys in the breakaway went pretty well until about 1.2 km from the finish when I moved to the front to pull because it was my turn and whoever was on my wheel I don't think followed me. At that point I thought 'I'll try to attack and go all out from here on' and I managed it even though until the very last meters I still didn't believe it".

What was therefore nothing more than a simple dream transformed into reality for Malmberg, a rider who, in the years spent racing for Danish and German Continental teams, had never managed to secure a scalp of this kind.

"It's a victory that means everything to me. It's really special to get a result like this in a race like this where there are so many World Tour and professional teams. Some of them came here with buses, while we only have a small van, but we've shown that if you love cycling, it doesn't matter if you're equipped with a bus or everything else, you can still manage to win" the Danish rider told us, highlighting the considerable difference in terms of resources between some of the teams present at the Sibiu Tour and Swat Club, a team that however has other weapons to bring out the talents and riders who have in their bikes and competitive spirit the cornerstones of their lives.

"Swat Club is the best team I've ever been part of: the support we receive from the fans, but also from the entire staff, from the team members and from the owner is truly incredible".

With this kind of support, Malmberg has opened doors and could, in the coming weeks, further open the path toward performances capable of convincing higher-level teams to invest in him for next season. If this were to happen, it would inevitably mean saying goodbye to the environment that has helped him so much in recent months but which he will certainly, regardless of a possible separation or not, continue to support.

"Hopefully this victory can help me and some teams might become interested in me, we'll see in the coming weeks. Certainly, a result like this also helps Swat Club which has the dream of participating in the Giro in 2030 and is working hard to be there. It's a fantastic team with fantastic people and I think that if there's a team that deserves to move from Continental to Pro Continental category, it's Swat Club. We'll see if that happens in the coming years" concluded hopefully the first yellow jersey wearer of the Sibiu Tour 2026.

Photo Credit: Focus Photos Agency