The 22-year-old delivered the team’s fifth medal of the week.
Just four days after wrapping up the overall title at the Belgium Tour and becoming the first Swiss rider in the history of the race – one of the oldest in the world – to finish at the top of the general classification, Mauro Schmid pinned on a number again, this time for the time trial race at the National Championships.
Held in Steinmaur, a town located not far from Zurich, over a demanding 38.2km parcours comprising two rolling laps, the event saw Mauro produce a solid effort and stop the clock in 47:29, less than half a minute behind Joel Suter (UAE Team Emirates), who finished victorious, for what was his best result in two participations at the Nationals.
“I am a bit disappointed, because this was a great chance to take the jersey home. I felt some pressure and the warm temperatures made it more challenging, but ultimately it came down to how I raced it. The course was tricky and it was a bit difficult to find the right pacing in the corners and in the valley.”
“The time trial was also longer than the one of last year and that complicated matters a bit, as I went too fast in the first part and began feeling that effort in the second half of the race. I tried to cut the gap to the first place, but was struggling and felt a bit empty, so second was the best I could do in these conditions. At the same time, this motivates me for Sunday. It will be difficult to control, but I am going to the start with a lot of confidence”, a confident Mauro said at the end of Thursday’s race.
Photo credit: ©Jann Fretz
