New wolves Schachmann and Hayter criticize Red Bull and INEOS: "Bikes designed for them, not for me"

Maximilian Schachmann and Ethan Hayter appeared with a big smile Thursday afternoon at the Soudal-Quick Step team presentation in Calpe. The 31-year-old German and 26-year-old Briton were recruited from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and INEOS Grenadiers, and both men are only too happy about it, as revealed in two candid conversations with IDLProCycling.com.

Schachmann returns to his former base with his transfer to Quick Step. It was exactly ten years ago that things started for him in the development team of The Wolfpack. He joined the main squad in 2017 and immediately took off like a rocket. Schachmann showed off his punch, climbing skills, and tactical eye for attack. In 2018, that yielded an immediate stage win in his first major tour, the Giro d'Italia.

In one-week stage races, Schachmann emerged as one of the better riders in the world, chasing stage wins at times (three in the Tour of Catalonia in 2019, for example) and overall wins as a GC rider in Paris-Nice in 2020 and 2021. He also recorded top results in the classics, especially in the Ardennes. He accumulated thirteen wins until 2021, of which the German road title was the last one that season. It was his second national title after the first in 2019.

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German champion Schachmann, in 2019 and 2021

Schachmann experiences setback with new team

Schachmann rode for Quick Step for only two seasons, as in 2019, he transferred to what was then BORA-hansgrohe. So, the first three years in German service went superbly, and things worsened. Crashes, multiple coronavirus infections, mental problems, and even more physical setbacks... It didn't stop there. It wasn't until 2024, in the first stage of the Giro d'Italia, that he overcame all that misfortune. He competed with Tadej Pogacar and Jhonatan Narváez for the day's victory. "I'm back," he said tellingly after the finish.

The seed for a departure at the now massive Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe organization was already planned. "It was already apparent two years ago that it was difficult to continue there; I needed something else. It's nice that Red Bull came in, but that doesn't change a team, only the name. The people in charge are still the same," it sounds critical toward the German cycling team.

"I haven't had my best time there in recent years, and that was due to various problems. Probably I made mistakes, but in my opinion, they were also responsible," continued Schachmann, who understandably does not want to elaborate too much on the details. "It was not a good collaboration, and you cannot expect good results. That's why I wanted to leave."

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Schachmann at the Giro, against Pogacar (left) and Narváez (center)

Hayter started off extremely well, but drifted further and further away

The story of Hayter reads the same. The Brit is five years younger but made his mark immediately at INEOS Grenadiers in 2020. He won the Giro dell'Appennino in the Corona year and was immediately impressed with his punch and, in 2021, his time trial skills as well. He won stages in the Coppi e Bartali, Algarve, Ruta del Sol, Norway, and Tour of Britain that year and was a pleasant surprise at the 2022 World Time Trial Championships in Australia. Hayter finished fourth but experienced equipment failure...

After 2022, Hayter was in the picture, and he did win in the Basque Country and Romandie in 2023. In 2024, he added the British road title to his record, his nineteenth professional victory already. However, Hayter never featured in the biggest races in his British champion's jersey. "The last two seasons, I won less, which also had to do with planning. I sometimes did too much, and it's also a snowball effect; if you win less, you get fewer opportunities because you win less."

Hayter rode a grand tour in 2022, the Vuelta a España. He had to settle for lesser-known races in the last two seasons at INEOS. "I like to help riders and INEOS, for example, perform just fine on the grand tours, with podium finishes. But in the end, they only care about what you show as a leader, not as a domestique. That's what you get paid for, so that made it tricky. And that while I love to win so much. It gives you a purpose, and that's why I started cycling. I haven't been as good as I hoped in the last few years."

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Hayter in better days, as leader in Romandie (2023)

Schachmann and Hayter lacked confidence from Red Bull and INEOS

"We never really asked INEOS Grenadiers if we could stay longer, and they didn't make an offer either. We both knew what it was like, and I understand it from INEOS," Hayter said of his departure from the multi-million dollar British formation. "I think I didn't really fit into their plans, they didn't really know where to put me to good use either. As a result, they didn't get value for money in this business."

Schachmann blames Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe for not making the effort to be supportive. "It is mentally easier to be in an environment where people believe in you 100 percent. If people don't have confidence in you, you notice it. Here they believe in me, and now it's up to me," he refers to Soudal-Quick Step, where he speaks of" a warm bath. "I've known many teams, but this one never changes much. It's about the quality staff and the enthusiasm for cycling, which you feel here in all ranks."

At his former team, the German may not even have to look long for the legs he used to have. "What you see from the outside is not always what is going on from the inside. I rode a good Olympic time trial, although that didn't show up in the result because of the rain. Later in the year, I also performed well, although I crashed early on the Tour of Poland, so my GC was over. I fell ill and competed well in the Renewi Tour but missed the decisive move. I was never bad and happy with my legs, but sometimes, more luck can make a big difference."

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A very young Schachmann at Quick Step

Hayter and Schachmann get nice program at Soudal-Quick Step

Hayter was never part of The Wolfpack before, but the British rider was impressed with the team he joined. "I got excited when I heard of this team's interest sometime in July. Riding for a team with such a culture and history made me happy. I followed my heart in that." Schachmann says, "I've had a few more difficult years and am now hoping for better times again. Every athlete wants to be the best version of himself, which is possible in the right environment and with a little luck. That's what I'm going for, with more than enough great opportunities in big races. The problem won't be with my program, that's for sure."

Schachmann will ride in the Tour of the Algarve, Paris-Nice, Milan-Sanremo, the Ardennes Classics, and the Frankfurt Classic, and Hayter will go for success in Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Romandie. These races are not too tricky, but not too easy either. "It has to be a tough race because I don't get tired easily. My sprint at the end of a race is the same as at the start. That is my strength. The team has me committed to winning races, and that confidence in me feels good."

Confidence is a magic word because it comes up very often in both conversations. "I want to enjoy the races again because I have always loved cycling. If they only keep changing your program at the last minute, cycling can start to feel like work, and that's not what you want. I spent over a month in 2024 just racing, going from one race to another. That was too much, and then you don't perform at your best level either," Hayter said, expressing some criticism directed toward INEOS.

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Ethan Hayter in his British championship jersey for Soudal-Quick Step

Schachmann reunited with Evenepoel's coach, Hayter wants to be a time trial rider again

They must work hard before the two riders can win again and become stars. Schachmann is doing that with his old trainer, Koen Pelgrim, who also trains Remco Evenepoel. "I will undoubtedly do things differently here; for a start, we train in groups. The dynamics are so different from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. I have also done many things in the last six years, and Koen has studied these things. We will implement my experiences in the data he observes, although we won't do quite the same as we did seven years ago. But Koen will make his mark on it."

When will his 2025 be successful? Schachmann dreams aloud: "I want to win again, and being part of the Tour de France selection is another dream, together with the strongest Remco Evenepoel we've ever seen. Hopefully, we will make it to the podium in Paris again. Other than that, I just want to have a great year again and not regret anything at the end of the season. Sometimes that yields more results and sometimes a little less, but it's going to be important that later on, I feel like I did things right for the team."

Hayter wants to switch back to the time trial bike, which was taken away from him at INEOS. "On a good course, on a good day, I can be close to the best in a time trial. Time trials take a lot of focus, effort, and hours to be good at them. In 2022, I performed well, but other riders got the newest bikes first in the years after. Those bikes were also designed for them, not for me. I stopped going to wind tunnels and struggled with sponsors' material, like the saddle and the chamois in my pants. If that causes you problems and means you miss hours, it comes at the expense of your time trial results."

"Here we have already been on the track with Specialized, but it will take time to be my best self again on the time trial bike. So, it is a work in progress, but the potential is there. I wasn't far from the world title in 2022," Hayter emphasized. A little more criticism, for old times' sake? "It's fun to be on the Specialized, quite different from Pinarello. The bike is responsive, and the wheels feel good, too. With the helmets, shoes, bike-fitting, and everything, it's nice to have one kit from the same sponsor."

Bram van der Ploeg (Twitter: @BvdPloegg | email: [email protected])      

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