Mauro Schmid believes in his steady progress: "Every year, I learn and get closer to the top"

Mauro Schmid's first season with Team Jayco AlUla was one with two sides. The 24-year-old was forced to sit out the spring due to a lingering knee injury, but then rose up to a great second half of the season including National title, overall victory in Slovakia (2.1) and two near-wins in stages of the Vuelta a Espana.

According to Schmid, the Swiss road title in June was a real game-changer. Until then, it had been a rough ride with many DNFs and no good results. Fortunately, after the title and the Vuelta, cycling life looked completely different. Still, you need both moments, Schmid believes. "Both victories and defeats make you stronger," he states in Jayco AlUla's 'TeamTalk' interview.

In the early years of his career, Schmid was often known as a relentless attacker. That brought him some big results including a stage win at Giro d'Italia 2021, but also cost him many results: "I learned that patience is important. Sometimes I thought too early that I was the strongest and attacked, but I see now that a well-timed moment often works much better," the Swiss later evaluates.

Schmid didn't always throw everything at a road pro career, trying out mountain bikes, cyclocross and even track before making the decision. "They are all different worlds, but you can learn something from all of them. There's nothing better than riding off-road and track races to learn how to handle the bike well."

Qhubeka brought Schmid to the world of professional racing in 2021, and even though there were some success here and there, it was only a move to Jayco AlUla ahead of this season that gave Schmid the much-needed restart. "Every year, I learn and get closer to the top. Above all, I need to work on my positioning and learn to distribute my energy more smartly," he acknowledges.