For six years, Michael Schwarzmann was a loyal domestique at Bora-Argon 18 and its predecessor Team NetApp but in 2016 he also managed to get some personal results.

The 25-year-old was second in a stage at the Vuelta a Espana, his first Grand Tour. Earlier in the year, he achieved a similar result at the Oberösterreich Rundfahrt (2.2) and the Tour de l`Ain (2.1). However, the German also managed to win the final stage of the Aserbaijan Tour (2.1).

"I'm quite satisfied with the 2016 season. I could take another step in my development and show myself as a reliable teammate. With a victory and second place, it was my most successful season so far,” Schwarzmann told radsport-news.com.

Despite all the successes, the start of the season was difficult for Schwarzmann. He did ten one-day races between the end of February and the middle of April, but could only finish one of them – and he was not o the top 100 in that one, the Handzame Classic. "The spring program was not a success for me and was frustrating," said Schwarzmann, who then had a successful start in Azerbaijan in May.

In 2017, Schwarzmann will spend his 8th year with his German team which will tackle the first WorldTour season under the Bora-hansgrohe name. "I want to have a consistent season and show myself both as domestique and a fast rider,” he concluded.