Do you learn more from a victory or a defeat?
Mauro Schmid has no doubts: “After all, both victories and defeats make you stronger,” says Schmid, whose first season in the Team Jayco AlUla jersey had its ups and downs. “The first part of the season wasn’t easy because of a knee injury that didn’t want to heal.”
It took him a while to find the right condition and his victory in the road race at the Swiss national championships in June was proof that the wind had changed. “Winning the national title was something really special. I had come close on a couple of occasions and finally I did it,” he explains.
At the Vuelta a España, the 24-year-old from the canton of Zurich was among the key protagonists, finishing second twice and fourth once. He took more from the experience than just the results.
“I learned a lot. I was convinced I could leave everyone behind but, sometimes, it’s better to take risks and wait a bit before attacking,” says Schmid.
An early lover of cycling
Schmid is a Sagittarius, enthusiastic, loyal, intelligent and above all a lover of freedom. Perhaps this is why he chose the bicycle. On his personal website, he writes: “I was already enjoying long bike rides in the Engadin, Ticino and South Tyrol at the tender age of seven.”
As a child, his idol was Fabian Cancellara but now he doesn’t have a specific role model. There are several riders he likes for the way they ride and, if he really has to name one, it’s Mark Cavendish who was also his teammate at the Belgian Quick-Step team.
Along with him, Schmid’s whole family were all great cycling enthusiasts, starting with his grandfather. He was a lively child, and at times, he didn’t follow the rules. He quickly dismisses the subject of school with a wry quip: “I don’t think I was my teacher’s favourite.”
Growing up, he didn’t like being in class and took every opportunity he could to get outdoors. Like most Swiss, Schmid can ski very well both downhill and in the woods: “Ever since I was a child, I did cross-country skiing. It was a good way to train.”
But it is on two wheels where Schmid can give the best of himself. Since his early years, he has switched between mountain biking and his road bike with ease, plus some racing on the track where, between 2017 and 2019, he won several medals at the European championships. In the winter, he also dedicates himself to cyclo-cross where he has a lot of fun.
“They are different worlds,” he says, “but you can learn something from each. For example, there is nothing better than off-road and track to learn how to ride a bike well.”
Above all, for Schmid, cycling is fun and has the added social benefits to it as well. “Thanks to the bike I have made many new friends. Swiss youth cycling is above all a big family. In the junior road races, we were never more than 40 in the peloton, while in the MTB races we even reached 100.”
A toast with Brunello di Montalcino
The youth categories highlighted his talent and, at the same time, added to Schmid’s motivation to turn his passion into a full-time job. In 2021, he became a professional rider in the jersey of the South African Qhubeka team, after a year on the Leopard development team.
It wasn’t long before he announced himself as a rider to watch to the at the Giro d’Italia that year. On the Montalcino stage, the one with the dirt roads of Tuscany, he broke away and won by beating the Italian Alessandro Covi in a sprint. It was his first professional victory, and it came at one of the biggest races of the season.
“It was a very important victory because it put me on the cycling map,” says Schmid. “That day, I was convinced I would do well, and my cycling background gave me an advantage on the many gravel roads.”
A look to the future
As he’s grown from child to adult, being able to compare cycling with work has also been very useful. It has given him an appreciation of what he has and what cycling has given him.
“In some periods, I worked as a car mechanic’s assistant and I understood something important: cycling is sometimes hard, but working is even harder,” he says.
Schmid was still just 21 when he took that Giro d’Italia stage victory. He’s since had two more full seasons to find his place in the peloton before he joined Team Jayco AlUla at the start of the season. Those years have given him a chance to hone his craft, but he still has some areas that he’s keen to work on.
“I think I’ve improved year after year and I’ve gotten closer and closer to the best,” Schmid says of himself. “I still have to improve in many things, certainly in my positioning in the race and learning how to spend less energy.”
In the meantime, he enjoys his well-deserved rest by going out with friends and walking on Lake Zurich. In the summer, he likes playing golf and wave surfing even though “I never have time”. If he weren’t a pro rider, he would like to work in finance because “I like numbers” but also collect watches and works of art.
Photo: KRAMON
