Max Schachmann

Schachmann turned professional in 2017 with Quick-Step Floors. He had to end his season early after a crash on stage 5 of the Tour de Pologne.[12]

In 2018, Schachmann had a break-out season. After an eighth-place finish at the Flèche Wallonne, he went to his first Grand Tour, starting the 2018 Giro d'Italia. Here, he won the stage to Prato Nevoso. He added a bronze medal in the time trial at the UEC European Road Championships to his record as well as a stage win and third overall at the Deutschland Tour.[13]

Schachmann at the 2020 Paris–Nice, a race that he eventually won

For 2019, Schachmann moved to German squad Bora–Hansgrohe.[13] In March, he won a stage of the Volta a Catalunya.[14] At the Tour of the Basque Country, Schachmann won the stage-one time trial to take the overall lead, before securing two more stage wins on stages 3 and 4.[15] He then competed in the Ardennes classics, placing fifth at both the Amstel Gold Race and the Flèche Wallonne and then claimed third place at Liège–Bastogne–Liège.[16]

On 30 June, Schachmann won the German National Road Race Championships, coming in first in a Bora–Hansgrohe 1–2–3 finish during a demanding race in extreme heat of up to 40 °C (104 °F), where only 15 of 190 starters reached the finish line.[17] In July 2019, he was named in the startlist for the 2019 Tour de France.[18] During the stage-13 time trial, he was on his way to post a good time, when he crashed near the end of the course. While he finished the stage, he was later diagnosed with multiple fractures to his hand and had to abandon the Tour.[19]

At the beginning of the 2020 season, Schachmann placed second to Remco Evenepoel at the Volta ao Algarve.[20] In March 2020, Schachmann won Paris–Nice in an edition shortened by one stage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He won the first stage and then held on to an eventual lead of 18 seconds over Tiesj Benoot to become the fifth German winner of the event, and the first since Tony Martin in 2011.[21][22]

Schachmann continued in good form following the return to racing in August, taking third place at Strade Bianche.[23] At Il Lombardia, he suffered an accident when a car entered the race course 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) from the finish. He continued to the finish, where he placed seventh, but fractured his collarbone in the incident.[24] Despite the incident, Schachmann was announced as part of Bora–Hansgrohe's Tour de France octet.[25]

In March, he successfully defended his title at Paris–Nice, taking the race lead over Primož Roglič after a crash.[26] He had a strong remainder of the spring season as well, placing third in the Amstel Gold Race and fourth in the Tour de Suisse. In June, he won the German National Road Race Championships.[27] The following month, he placed 10th in the Road race at the Summer Olympics.