Interview with Maximilian Schachmann
The interview was conducted by Andreas Kublik
TOUR: Maximilian, the fans last saw you at the Tour de France. You didn't finish in two subsequent races. What exactly happened?
Maximilian Schachmann: Last year was a year to forget. I had big ups and downs. Overall, I wasn't stable enough over the season. I was in really good form at the Tour de Suisse. The Tour de France was then extremely tough. I didn't cope well with it. After that I was out of steam. My body no longer responded to training. I was always exhausted. I never recovered from a training session. There was nothing else to do but take a break.
TOUR: The last Tour de France was exceptional overall?
ChessmanIt was tough for everyone - not just for me. That was also due to the fact that we had a lot of tailwind. Apart from the two rest days, there were real bike races every day - even on the transition stages, even when a group was away. Then Vingegaard and Pogacar started to attack each other. It was hard for everyone because the two of them didn't limit themselves to the mountain stages, but tried at every opportunity. Wherever you could make it hard, it was hard. If the two of them didn't show themselves, then the other riders and teams were under pressure because there wasn't much left to win.
TOUR: You have suffered from exhaustion syndrome. How does that feel?
ChessmanI slept between ten and twelve hours at night and another two at lunchtime - I usually sleep seven to eight hours, not including a nap. And you still don't feel good afterwards. It only got better after I took a complete break from training for six weeks.
TOUR: You raced in Australia back in January. How much doubt was there in the meantime?
ChessmanWhen I realised in training in December that things were moving forward, it was a huge relief. Before that, there was uncertainty.
TOUR: That phase must also have been extremely tough mentally.
ChessmanI had a distraction because my daughter was born at the time.
TOUR: Is it over now?
Chessman: I think so. It fits again.
TOUR: You are now a father. Does that also change the way you see your job?
ChessmanIt's a responsibility. But my wife manages it very well, even though she is often alone in our home on Lake Garda because her family lives in Peru.
TOUR: You prepared specifically for the spring classics with altitude training on Mount Teide in February. You missed them last year due to coronavirus. Do you have a favourite race?
ChessmanEach race has its own character. I like to ride all three races in the Ardennes (in addition to Liège-Bastogne-Liège also Amstel Gold Race and Fleche Wallonne; editor's note.). I'll have to see Flanders first. I always thought it wasn't for me, but during a test ride and my only start so far (2020) I was amazed at how it goes up and down there.
TOUR: You rode Paris-Roubaix in 2021. Once and never again?
Chessman: It doesn't fit into my programme this year. But I didn't think it was bad. At the Tour in the dry (on stage 5 in 2022), riding over the cobbles was much more fun in the wet during Paris-Roubaix.
TOUR: Has Bora-Hansgrohe a new classic team in the meantime?
ChessmanBob (Jungels, winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2018) is a reinforcement for us. We're a good classics team across the board - we have to capitalise on our breadth. Since Peter (Sagan) left the team, there has been a transformation.
TOUR: Do you still have big goals?
ChessmanI would love to win a monument and a stage at the Tour. But first I have to make sure that I come back.
Andreas Kublik
Editor
