The German talked about being back with the Wolfpack and his first objectives of the season.
Having returned to the team with which he turned pro back in 2017, Maximilian Schachmann is excited to get things underway. The German – who recently turned 31 – will pin on a number for the first time this season on February 19, when he’ll line up at the start of the Volta ao Algarve, a race he concluded as runner-up in 2020.
This year’s edition will once again feature the Alto da Foia and Alto do Malhão uphill finishes, with the mention that the latter will come at the end of a demanding individual time trial on the last day of the race.
“I think there’s something very special about this team, just the way it is organized and the mentality it has, and it makes me happy to be here. I have found a nice group and it was pretty easy to integrate, I feel really comfortable after the first couple of weeks. The two training camps so far have been pretty good, we had perfect conditions, and everything is going well. I am already looking forward to Algarve, which comes with a different route this year. In the past the parcours suited me and it would be nice to start the season well there and build a solid foundation for the next race”, said Max, who is currently in Calpe together with the rest of the squad.
After Portugal, Schachmann will travel to France a few weeks later for his fifth start in Paris-Nice, a race where he took back-to-back overall victories in 2020 and 2021, becoming the only German in history to win it more than once.
“I have a lot of great memories from there, it’s a prestigious event – at the same time, a hard one – and I would like to be in the mix for a good result. One week later, I will take on Milano-Sanremo together with the rest of the wolves, and despite the fact it will be just my second start, I’ll go there with a lot of confidence and motivation. Sanremo is a difficult race which usually comes down to the last 30 kilometers. Everything can happen there, so we’ll need to wait for the day of the race and see how things go, but I hope to help the team get a good result”, concluded Max, whose palmares counts 14 pro victories.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
