"The plan is to try to defend this jersey" - Mauro Schmid hopes for first stage-race win in Belgium
Cycling
Mauro Schmid is one of the riders that broke through the most in the past year, and is today on the verge of taking his first stage-race victory at the Baloise Belgium Tour.
Yesterday during the queen stage he made it into the crucial move that went away inside the final 50 kilometers, and managed to finish on the same time as Quinten Hermans in the final hilltop sprint. The four seconds he won on the road to Tim Wellens were exactly the same that separated them at the start of the day, however the Swiss ended up in the leader's jersey at the end of the day.
“I knew it could be very close in the end and it would come down to the bonifications at the finish and in the Golden Kilometer if we stayed together," Schmid described. "I tried to save the legs a bit for the finale, but I felt the effort on the last climb, where I knew Quinten would be strong."
Schmid sprinted to second place, however got a bigger reward. "When I noticed Tim was dropped, I searched for the last ounce of energy to gain as much time as possible, and I’m happy I got rewarded with the leader’s jersey," he added. He now heads into the final stage of the race in the lead, however with the same times as Tim Wellens.
"We’ll see what we can do on the last stage, but the plan is to try to defend this jersey and help Fabio go for the win," he concluded. Today's stage sees it's finale in Beringen and the overall classification can come down to how well the two riders finish on the stage.
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.
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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)...
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- This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years ago
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughieRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- Let Torito have a shot at itRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible. Montaner is also used in the U23s, in Giro del BelvedereRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
- Good Point, I wonder if he's been testedmhfrvz03-11-2026
- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
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Your new #BaloiseBelgiumTour leader, @mauro_schmid 😃 Photo: @BeelWout
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