Schachmann returns to the old nest at Lefevere: "Everyone seemed keen to take on project"

Schachmann joined Quick-Step's pro team in 2017 from the Klein Constantia training team and, in his second season, immediately showed what he was made of, with stage wins in the Giro, Tour of Catalonia, and Tour of Germany. This also sparked the interest of Germany's most extensive team, BORA-Hansgrohe.

On behalf of that team, he immediately took another step. In 2019, he became German champion, won several stages in more demanding races like the Tour of Catalonia and Tour of the Basque Country, rode a podium in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and rode incredibly high. He then won the final classification of Paris-Nice in 2020 and 2021.

Yet after that, things worsened due to many consecutive illnesses. "He had dreadful periods the last two years. A lot of illnesses, from one infection to another. His immune system was completely f*cked at one point, and that was tough on him. If you're not at your expected level, that will also play a role mentally," team owner Ralph Denk had previously told this site. 

To step up to become the winner he used to be - his last win dates to the 2023 Sibiu Tour, the second-to-last was the German championship in 2021 - Schachmann is now trading Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe for Soudal Quick-Step. The team where it all began, but the German himself does not look at it as romantic right away.

"It was negotiating, but I felt the team still had a lot of confidence in me as a rider. Everyone seemed keen to get back into a project together and bring me back to the level I once had in the past," he explained. "I know the people there and what I will get there. That's why I made the choice."

Still, things have also changed at the Belgian team - partly due to Remco Evenepoel. "I'm looking forward to it because there are still a lot of familiar faces. Especially in the staff, then. Of the riders, I think only Yves Lampaert and James Knox have been there since I rode there. It's a young group, and I'm looking forward to it."

Schachmann has won in various ways: GCs, mountain stages, transition stages, time trials, and sprints in a small or more significant group. Unless your name is Tadej Pogacar or Wout van Aert, that won't be easy in 2024. "Modern cycling is growing more specific, so I hope that with the help of Soudal Quick-Step, I can focus on the races that best suit me. Then, my qualities could also emerge more clearly. We still don't know exactly how to do that; we will see in October. There has been some talk about it, but we will decide after the current season," he concluded.