Schmid brings giant mortadella and a lot of courage

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It is 9:57 pm when Mauro Schmid (23) finally comes to rest. “Now I have time, because the drive from Carpi home takes almost five hours,” he says on the phone. Schmid isn’t alone in the car—he has a 30-pound mortadella next to him. “Not the ideal food for a cyclist. But my family will certainly be happy,” says Schmid cheerfully.

The background: The Italian cooked sausage is a gift for his victory in the five-day Settimana Internazionale Coppa e Bartali stage race. “Actually, I even got four mortadellas because I took the leader’s jersey four times. But the supervisors of my team tore three under the nail.”

“On the right track”

With his overall victory in Italy, Schmid provides the second Swiss cycling exclamation mark in 2023. In February, Stefan Küng (29) already won the time trial of the Tour of the Algarve. “It’s not a huge race, but it’s very important to me,” said Schmid. The first win of the season takes the pressure off his shoulders. “It’s confirmation that I’m on the right track. Now I can drive even more freely.”

Two weeks ago, there wasn’t much to point to an exploit from the Quick-Step Pro. Schmid gave up in Paris-Nice after the second stage. “I had a fever and something was wrong with my stomach. But I recovered well, shifted and saw that this race in Italy could suit me.” That’s exactly what happened: Schmid came second in three stages and overall winner. His next big target will be the Ardennes classics from mid-April. cool races,” says Schmid.

Source : Blick