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Cycling
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Danish gravel star Mads Würtz Schmidt joins Matt Stephens fresh off a remarkable run of wins to explain how leaving the WorldTour behind has transformed him as an athlete. The Specialized rider opens up candidly about the mental health struggles that derailed parts of his road career, how a new coach and a more structured routine have made him faster and, crucially, more durable, and why he believes gravel racing suits his old-school time-trialling instincts better than anything he found on the road. They also get into life in Girona, the brutal, rock-strewn gravel that makes the region such a proving ground, the bond with teammate Matt Beers that helped power a huge win at Traka, and Mads's hopes of one day adding a gravel World Championship jersey to his collection.
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"Mads Würtz Schmidt on his successful switch from road racer to gravel champion" is an episode of Sigma Sports Unplugged with Matt Stephens. Runtime 1 hr 9 min. Published August 21, 2026. Hit play above to stream it here, or open the free Spot Sports app for background play and offline downloads.