Max Schachmann shows signs of life with second place at GP Aargau

The GP Aargau was held two days before the Tour de Suisse on a 173.8 km hilly circuit near Leuggern. Maximilian Schachmann managed to grab the lead at the head of a tiny following group in the pivotal final period of the stage.

"It was my first race after a difficult first part of the season so far and after a training camp and I tried to ride actively for Marco [Haller] today," he said, however the race had a different outcome than expected as he saw himself in contention for the wins again. With three kilometers to go, the German  attacked with two others, but the trio was pulled in by the chasers just before the finish, and it came down to an uphill sprint among the seven-man leading group, in which Schachmann took second place behind Marc Hirschi.

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"I jumped in quite early and was then at the front of the group. It wasn't quite my best day, but still, the outcome wasn't bad. In the end, I couldn't get past Hirschi in the final sprint and so finished second," he detailed.  

The German will hope to show his recently acquired form at the Tour de Suisse this coming week, a final opportunity to prove himself worthy of a spot at the Tour de France after a very difficult period.