24/09/2023

Lefevere "likes to put a bit of fire into it" - Mauro Schmid corrects Vegas trip rumours and explains confusion regarding his whereabouts

Saturday's news erupted with an unusual story, that of Mauro Schmid having lied about his Garmin having broken down as a cover-up for a six-day trip to Las Vegas following the World Championships. The Soudal - Quick-Step has quickly reacted to Patrick Lefevere's accusations and corrected several flaws in the story told by his boss.

“In the end it was true. I was in Vegas but when he said I was gone for six days, it was only three. It was a short trip. It didn’t really affect my preparation and training," Schmid told GCN following this morning's accusations. "Of course it wasn't the best thing to do, and I agree with that but after Worlds I’d had a tough season and was tired so I had to get my head ready for the final part of the season. It was planned that I’d train all three days but my bike didn’t arrive so I could only do one ride. Jetlag wasn’t ideal but you need to be ready in the head and the season is long so it’s normal to switch off. I started in January and finished in October so the season is long."

"He had been on a trip to Las Vegas in six days" - Patrick Lefevere claims Mauro Schmid lied to team and went on secret vacation

Lack of communication led to confusion on the Swiss riders' whereabouts days after having finished 13th in Glasgow. After having posted on Twitter a Strava ride he now shared, the story grew more confusing. But he has already cleared out that there were errors on both sides, and the information was obtained by Lefevere who claimed he was in the USA for six days, not three as Schmid now says, and commented on his Garmin not working when the Swiss rider points out that is not true.

“In the end I know how Patrick is and I saw the other stories that went in the news in the last few months about other riders but I don’t really mind," the 23-year old, who's moving to Team Jayco AlUla continued. "I don’t have a bad relationship with Patrick, so I’m still super happy to be in the team. He also likes to put a bit of fire into it. I was there, sure, but my Garmin wasn’t broken. I never said that. I just didn’t communicate. From my side everything is super fine with Patrick. I’m happy to be here and I’ll be proud to wear the jersey until the final day of the season.”