Chessman at Paris-Nice: Cold start to a hot love adventure

Maximilian Schachmann and the Paris-Nice race.

It has become a liaison rich in anecdotes, one that has shaped and shaped the career of the Berlin professional.

The renowned long-distance trip south to the Côte d'Azur is traditionally one of the first dates in the cycling year when the stars of the scene want to get in shape or show off their early form.

Not infrequently an eight-day indicator of who to expect on the big tours of the year.

March 2020: After the opening stage, Schachmann slips into the yellow jersey of the leader.

As Europe lurches towards a standstill at the start of the pandemic, Paris-Nice is the very last significant sporting event to continue.

And is brought to an end.

To the surprise of many, the German does not relinquish his top position until the finish line.

It is the biggest success of Schachmann's career to date.

From the winners' podium it goes straight into the lockdown.

Paris-Nice suits the all-rounder

March 2021: Due to Corona, Schachmann's planned season debut races have been cancelled.

For the first time this year he pins a start number to the jersey of his Bora-hansgrohe team at Paris-Nice.

Straight from a high-altitude training camp in the Sierra Nevada, so straight to defending the title.

In the end, despite a strong performance, everything points to a podium place behind the dominant Primoz Roglic.

The Slovenian star won three stages but fell twice on the final stage - paving the way for another triumph for Schachmann.

March 2022: Corona caused the 28-year-old to miss the planned start of the season again.

Because he himself is infected - like so many drivers at Bora-hansgrohe in January and February.

Schachmann left the proven high-altitude training camp in the Sierra Nevada directly for France on Thursday.

Again with all the imponderables in mind that the first kilometers of racing of the year can bring with them.

Again in the knowledge that the cold start can again lead to a great success.

It was also cold in the Spanish mountains, where he stayed for more than two weeks.

With a view of a ski slope from his accommodation, Schachmann said: “It is clear that I would like to win a third time in a row.

But it doesn't make any sense if, after less than optimal preparation, I cling doggedly to a goal that is difficult to achieve."

Another win would see the German take a special place in the history of the prestigious Tour at the 80th edition.

Only Frenchman Laurent Jalabert (1995 to 1997) has three wins in a row, while Irishman Sean Kelly's (1982 to 1988) series of seven (1982 to 1988) seems unattainable.

Paris-Nice suits the all-rounder chessman because it places demands on the complete professional.

There are flat stretches, hilly stages, high mountain visits and a time trial.

As if made for a racing driver who seems to have a little bun in his legs and has made this his trademark.

In tough one-day races, especially in the Ardennes week, Schachmann consistently achieves top positions.

He is a good time trialist and has improved a lot as a climber.

The universally applicable vehicle has proven what it is capable of doing in one day or on one-week round trips.

According to Bora head coach Dan Lorang, it is unclear “whether Max can still ride at the highest level in the third week of Grand Tours.

We want to get this confirmation this year.”

Last year, instead of the Tour de France, Schachmann had fully backed the Olympic road race, which ended in a wild series of attacks and only held tenth place for the German champions, who were plagued by cramps.

Schachmann was just 14 seconds away from Germany's first medal on the road since Jan Ullrich and Andreas Kloden at the Sydney 2000 games.

In the second half of the season, Schachmann's form dropped significantly, which puzzled him.

After his last race in early October, he took a longer than usual break;

with the aim of staying fresher and performing longer in the 2022 season.

This measure was already aimed at the tour in the summer, where he should go hunting for stages.

In a team that has undergone a major upheaval in terms of personnel on the bikes and in the support vehicles.

The focus is far more than before on the overall standings of the major national tours.

"Things have changed for the better.

The group has become more homogeneous.

In terms of training and diet, more riders are now following the same path.

For example, on the tour we will be able to use the group's strengths even better and be tactically more flexible," says Schachmann, who has a contract with Germany's largest racing team until the end of 2024.

Coach Lorang recognizes from his bookkeeping that Schachmann "gets stronger year after year".

According to Schachmann, he “has not yet reached his zenith.

Super talents like Pogacar or Bernal have distorted the picture in recent years.

At the age of 28 I no longer call myself a young driver, the protection of puppies is of course gone.

But many drivers have their best times between the ages of 28 and 35.”

The biggest names on the Paris-Nice starting list are all older than Schachmann: Roglic, the already extremely strong Colombian Nairo Quintana or the British twin brothers Yates.

It is not impossible that they will find out at the finish on the Promenade des Anglais that Schachmann's flirtation with this race has been enriched by a victorious anecdote.