It is a special summer for Mads Würtz Schmidt, and will be a fantastic fall as well. Last year September he planned his wedding straight after the season, on the 10th of October 2020. However, this year the tenth of the tenth is exactly during the ‘spring classics’, which he starts with a new contract in his back pocket: Würtz signed a two-year-extension deal with Israel Start-Up Nation.
“In both cases I did not doubt”, he laughs. “My future wife is the love of my life, and with ISN I am in love too.”
The Danish classics specialist came over from Team Katusha, got to meet everyone from the team during the #VisitIsrael training camp in Israel and really fell in love with the team during the camp on Mallorca. “That’s where I realized for the first time that I joined a super professional team. The way everyone worked together, the riders, directors sportive, soigneurs and the mechanics: it convinced me that I joined the perfect team.”
He found out there is a vision, a solid structure and that Israel Start-Up Nation is a safe team to be in. Würtz: “During that camp I found out that ISN is on its way to something way bigger. I met Paulo Saldanha, our performance manager from PowerWatts, who really knows what he is doing. Also, I met Nicki Sörenson, my fellow countryman, and there was a connection straight away. Both of them are super motivators and showed their confidence in me.”
Especially Sörenson proved to be of great importance to Würtz. “We did not know each other before ISN, but we just understood each other”, the 26-year-old says. “We share the same mentality, he is great to talk to – also for private issues -, and we changed some details in my training schedule over the winter. I felt the improvements right away.”
“Having people around in a team who have full confidence in you, gives a big boost”, he continues. “I feel that everyone in the team puts their personal energy in this fantastic project. The way ISN performed during Paris-Nice, both the team and me personally, showed that we were breaking the WorldTour-door open.”
Würtz now announces to stay at least another two years with ISN. “I am now in a team where everything is great and in which I can grow. My goal with this team is to win a classic and perform in one-day-races as well as smaller stage races. I want to ride finals, race for victories.” It seems like a match made in heaven.
I most likely will do Tour de Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. One week before Flanders I will marry. I will enjoy that evening, and forget about everything for one night.”
“I am all in love, with my future wife and with the team and I hope this will give me a boost. I will go on a double honeymoon: one with my future wife and one to the spring classics with ISN.”
Photos: Noa Arnon.
Video: Sjors Beukeboom.
