In 2012, he was nominated Germany's 'Cyclist of the Year'. He rode in the 2018 Giro d'Italia,[9] where he won stage 18.[10]
Early life
Schachmann was born in Berlin and grew up on the outskirts of the city. His school was 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) away from his home and since buses only ran once an hour, he took the bicycle to school, igniting his interest in pursuing cycling as a career.[11]
Career
2017–2018: Quick-Step Floors
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]
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]
2020
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]
