"I'm in a long period of mostly bad luck" - Max Schachmann continues to struggle with form, carries low ambitions into Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Cycling
Max Schachmann has thrived over the early 2020's but he's recently been struggling with form quite a lot, with no end in sight. In a recent interview he reveals that he will still ride his planned schedule with Liège-Bastogne-Liège albeit with low ambitions.
“I am slowly on my way back, but the form is not very promising yet. I was doing well with my preparation for Paris-Nice, but I fell ill the night before the first stage. Still I started and that was not the best decision, in hindsight. I lost my complete form there," Schachmann admitted in an interview with Wielerflits.
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The German won Paris-Nice and the national championships in 2021 among other results but since last season he hasn't been able to reach the same level. His Tour de Suisse performance was promising towards the Tour de France but from there no result emerged, and the German was forced to end his season with little to show for. He reports that he had a good winter of training, but a bout of illness at Paris-Nice derailed his preparation, and he hasn't been able to recover his best legs.
“Now I'm fighting my way back. I will ride Liège, but not in the form I would have liked to start," he informs however without the ambitions he's had in the past (Schachmann finished third at his debut in 2019). "That's frustrating. I'm in a long period of mostly bad luck, because last winter I had a very, very, very promising build-up. Only I have not yet been able to show that in a race.”
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After abandoning Paris-Nice and the cobbled classics where he was aiming for a result, he took some rest and restarted training. This week he's racing the Tour of the Alps in an attempt to regain some race rhythm, but is aware that is coming months are riddled with uncertainty if he doesn't find stable form.
“But this is really different from last year. I was sick in Paris-Nice and didn't recover long enough, but now I'm back on track. Hopefully things will go in the right direction from now on. After Liège I will ride Eschborn-Frankfurt, but after that I don't have a concrete program yet," he concluded.
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Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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🇮🇹 #TotA Stage 4 @Tourof_TheAlps Another day in the mountains with the hardest climb right off the start 🚩⛰️ 📍 Rovereto ➡️ Predazzo 🚩 Start 11:05 CET 🏁 Finish ca. 15:15 CET 🛣️ 152,9km
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