Mauro Schmid: “What a start to the season!”

February 9 ^th 2026 - 11:35 [GMT 0]

“Because I was on the right side of the roundabout, I wasn’t involved in the crash, so I was able to approach the climb calmly. Then my teammates managed to close the gap to the breakaway, and in the end I was able to wait until the final 200 metres to launch my attack. That last kilometre felt very long, but in any case I’m really happy with the form I’m in and to have won this stage. What a start to the season, it was already a very good race in Australia. And here I knew it was a course that suited me, and it’s also an advantage compared to others to have already raced in Australia. Right now everything is going perfectly. The Green Mountain stage is very tough. I know I’ve gained some time bonuses, but it will be very hard to hold on to this jersey. I’ll do my best, but on that climb there can be big gaps, and it will be very difficult to beat Adam Yates on such an ascent.”