"It feels good to see progress again" - Max Schachmann solves mysterious injury and immediately fights for top-10
Cycling
Even though he's gradually growing into the role of experienced veteran rather than the promising rider he has been before he left Soudal - Quick-Step in 2018, the returnee Max Schachmann still remains the Belgian team's key piece in pursuit of one-week stage race GC results. Or... at least that was the plan; however 2026 was not the year for the 32-year-old German.
Struck by a mysterious injury, Schachmann had to navigate an uneasy feeling in leg while still in a full competition. The discomfort was immediately reflected in his 61st place at Tour de Romandie and 49th at Tour de Suisse - two races where Schachmann could normally aim for top-10.
"The season hasn’t quite gone the way I had hoped so far, and for a long time I couldn’t really understand why I wasn’t feeling or performing like myself," Schachmann opened his Instagram story.
Ultimately, an explanation to his condition emerged last month: "In July, I finally found out that I’ve been dealing with a tendinopathy at the proximal hamstring insertion. Having an explanation for what has been holding me back was an important step, and since starting treatment things have been moving in the right direction."
Read also
A clear answer and recovery path were just what Schachmann needed to make a full recovery one month later. Some rest fixed most of the German riders' problems who already appeared in much better shape at the Tour de Pologne where he claimed an overall 17th position after a seventh place on stage 6.
The only downside that could've been drawn was a sub-par time trial result - 52nd - which cost Schachmann what would otherwise be a good shot at final top-10.
"Racing in Poland, I already felt significantly better, even though the issue is not gone yet and I’m still in the middle of the recovery process. Especially in the time trial position, I’m still struggling and definitely not where I want to be."
"But it feels good to see progress again and to feel more like myself on the bike. I’ll keep working hard, taking it day by day, and doing everything I can to get the most out of what’s left of this season," he concludes.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin is wuite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
- i am sure that under the pretext of medical examination a lot worse has happened when they were under.abstractengineer02-11-2026
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment