"I was both coach and athlete" - Visma presents its new rider, a former a triathlete who coached himself into pro cycling

Not many outside the main cycling bubble recognize the name Anton Schiffer, but that was also the case with the likes of Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard when they first signed with Team Visma | Lease a Bike. The German rider could be one of the team's weapons in the next few years, the definition of a diamond in the rough despite his 26 years of age.

Schiffer is an athlete who used to compete in triathlon, much like Roglic, making the switch to pro cycling only in his mid-20's after being a top athlete in a different sport. "I actually didn’t mind focusing only on cycling. I started participating races and discovered that I was quite good at it. The decision was made quickly," Schiffer said in a post shared by Visma, providing insight into the new signing. Schiffer is a risk for Visma, but one that has tons of potential.

He was second at this year's Tour of Hellas won by Astana's Harold Martín López and at the Sibiu Tour in Romania he beat none other than La Vuelta's fifth place Matthew Ricitello in the queen stage. Schiffer is a rider with huge power numbers, but perhaps lack of experience in racing and not the best support throughout his career. He turned pro in August 2023 with German team Bike Aid, where he has raced at continental level all the way into this fall.

"I come from a different sport, so in that sense I’m still young. I know there's plenty of room for improvement, as most things are still new to me. What I would really like to learn is how to race more intelligently and with specific goals. I’d love to support the team as well as possible."

This year, his talent became undeniable, and there was also a lot of talk over his VO2 max, which is quite high even in the realm of pro cyclists. "A week before I took my first win, I finished third at the German National Championships. That same week, I also signed my contract with Team Visma | Lease a Bike. It was a very nice period. To be honest, I didn’t think this would still happen. I’m 26, and there aren’t many riders who make this step at that age."

However there is something very particular about Schiffer, which is that he was often the one in charge of his own training, getting himself up to pro level almost in his own terms. This makes his potential to evolve upon joining a world-class team gigantic.

"In recent years I was both coach and athlete. I designed my own programmes and had access to a lab where I tested my lactate levels, VO2 max and aerodynamics. All of that is now handled by the team, which saves me a lot of work," he details. "I enjoy occasionally discussing certain decisions with the coaches. Sometimes I share new and interesting material and we talk about it. I don’t just want to blindly follow my training programme; I also like to understand why we do certain things."

And he could bring home the benefits from this move in a short amount of time. The two-year deal with Visma will give him enough time to substantially evolve if this is the case, and perhaps become a new weapon for the team to use against an ever-growing UAE Team Emirates - XRG. "As a GC rider, you have to perform at your best every single day. I’ve shown in the past that I can ride a good overall classification in smaller stage races, but that’s not yet comparable to competing at the highest level."

"In general, the longer a race lasts, the better I get. I always recover well and can strike when others begin to tire. I really enjoy the life of a professional athlete," he concludes. "Eating healthily, training a lot and recovering properly, none of that feels like a burden to me. I think that’s definitely a strength."