In his fifth year at Bora-Argon 18, Andreas Schillinger developed from domestique into a rider capable of achieving results. He underlined that status with a third place at Rund um Köln, a third place at the German Championships in Bensheim and a 16th place at Paris-Roubaix.

"Overall my season balance is quite positive. Especially in Paris-Roubaix, I showed that I can be near the front when everything goes right. That motivates me and makes fun, "Schillinger told radsport-news.com.

The 32-year-old could crown a successful first half of the season with a second participation in the Tour de France. But he had to leave the race after the third stage due a viral illness. Later in the year he didn’t achieve any notable results except for a second place in the TTT at the Czech Cycling Tour.

"Unfortunately, I didn’t have much luck after the midpoint of the season," confirmed Schillinger who also pointed to the good performance of his team, especially in the Belgian and French autumn races. "As a team we were able to show that we have taken another step since 2014,” said the all-rounder that described the premature Tour withdrawal as "the biggest disappointment of the season” because he “was in very good shape.”

In his sixth year at the German Bora-Argon 18, he will again focus primarily on the classics - both as a domestique and as a captain. "I'll try to help our team as much as possible there and also hope to have my own chance in a race at some point,” Schillinger announced.

Like every year, the Bayern Rundfahrt is again at the top of his list of priorities because the race "passes very close to my home. And then I hope for a Tour wildcard for our team so that I can show that I again deserve a spot in the team," he added.