Artem Shmidt makes ambitious turn at 19 as 'cycling more a job than a hobby'

Ask anyone connected to cycling around Atlanta, Georgia if they are familiar with Artem Shmidt and you’ll get a resounding ‘yes’. He’s been a staple of the junior criterium and road scene since he was barely a teenager. 

In 2016 as a 12-year-old, he won US amateur road titles on the road, time trial and criterium, as well as Southern spotlight races for juniors at the Sunny King Criterium and Georgia Cycling Grand Prix. By the time he was 15, he was competing in 50 or more races each year for Mission Devo Cycling/NGCA p/b Tyler Perry Studios, and even found 30 local events to race during the summer of COVID-19.

By 2021 the slender southerner was pounding pedal strokes on pavement for Hot Tubes Development and looked for every opportunity to compete, finishing third in the road race at US men’s junior nationals and just off the podium in the time trial, and was scoring top 10s in the category 1 ranks at established races at Intelligentsia Cup outside Chicago, finishing just behind veterans like Ty Magner and Tyler Williams of L39ION of Los Angeles. He was third overall at the Junior Vuelta and won the best young rider classification.

His final races as a junior came in 2022 at the UCI Road World Championships in Scotland, where he rode a majority of the junior road race in the breakaway and finished fifth. In the men’s junior time trial he was sixth, making him the top US finisher in both events.

In 2023 Shmidt signed with Hagens Berman Axeon, team owner and director Axel Merckx said he hoped to keep the young US rider around for a few years. “Not only is he a great rider and athlete, but he has a great personality. He’s probably one of the best American riders out there right now and we’ll continue the journey and development of cycling in the US together.”

In his first season with the US-based development team, Shmidt earned a pair of silver medals, ITT and road race, at the US Junior National Championships in Roanoke, Virginia. He had podiums in Europe and rode in the Athens Orthopedic Clinic Twilight Criterium when he was home in Georgia in April, taking fifth place from the 117 starters stacked with crit specialists.

Cyclingnews caught up with the global jet-setting U23 rider, as he gets set for a second season at the Continental level with Hagens Berman-Jayco.

Cyclingnews: You grew up in Cumming, Georgia in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountain. Tell us how you got into racing bikes.

Artem Shmidt: That's right, I spent most of childhood in North Georgia, USA. Great riding, no big climbs but no flats either, super rolly. I got into riding bikes through my father, he was an ex-pro cyclist, mostly on the track but did some road here and there. So I started riding because of him.

CN: As a junior in 2016 you swept all three US road national titles in your age group -  the road race, time trial and criterium. What goals did you then set for your cycling career being so young?

AS: Thank you, I was 12 at the time so super stoked to sweep all nationals, especially since it was my first year racing. I was still quite young so I wasn't super focused on bikes and didn't set any goals, yet, mainly just having fun. 

CN: You rode a ton of races with the Georgia club team Mission Source. Tell us about that program and what made it "fun" rather than "work".

AS: So Mission Source was my first team, and it was such a great experience. Our director, Greg Latham, helped me out a ton with getting started and really jump-started my career. I can't thank him enough and the whole Mission Source family. At that age, not a lot of people took cycling seriously so it was good times, spending every other weekend at a random city in Georgia with a bunch of juniors.

CN: In 2021 you moved to the Hot Tubes development team. Did they give you a broader racing program? What did you like about that change?

AS: Graduating to a program like Hot Tubes was definitely a big change. Going from a local team to one of the best junior programs in North America over the last couple decades was a great opportunity, which I am super grateful for. I would go over the pond, to Europe, for the first time with Hot Tubes and they gave me multiple blocks of racing overseas, which I made some memories that I could never forget.

CN: In 2021 you competed in your first international stage races. What was most challenging? And which race was most special?

AS: Doing those international races for the first time was definitely a big transition, mostly because people started treating cycling more as a job rather than a hobby at this level. It causes some new factors to come into play. For example, races are much faster, more competitive, and riders take bigger risks. 

The most special race that year was definitely Vuelta Ribera del Duero which at the time was the Junior Vuelta. It was special because the team had good success there with Hot Tubes going 1, 2, 3 in GC and winning almost every single jersey. 

CN: After you took third overall the Junior Vuelta, you ended the year with your first general classification at a stage race, at SPIE Internationale Juniorendriedaagse in the Netherlands. It was an all-star field and you beat Josh Tarling. How special was that?

Spie was the first stage race I won over in Europe, a difficult race with a mix of cobbles and small bergs. I was coming off some sickness after Worlds and Roubaix so I wasn't in the best shape, but on the first stage I managed to breakaway with three other guys. We ended up taking 3 minutes on the field or so, and then I was able to win the sprint from the break. This was one of my first wins in Europe and I was super grateful for the opportunity from Hot Tubes and excited for the next couple days especially starting in Yellow the next day. 

It was bad luck for me in the next stage, flatting 4km into the race and having to ride my teammate’s bike (which was two sizes too small) for the whole stage, which included some cobbles. Thankfully, no time was lost. On the last stage, the ‘queen stage’, was the most difficult task of my career at the time. All the hitters were out to get me. Unfortunately, most of my teammates ended up crashing out of the race early so I was just left with one to control the race. Josh Tarling actually went up the road, with a min-plus advantage, and the field was all looking at me to bring it back. Thankfully, my teammate, Brockton Smith, ended up bringing Josh back, so we secured the GC. Josh and I would actually sign to the same agency, 258 Protege, later in the year.

CN: In 2022 you got everyone's attention with sixth at Worlds in the Junior Men’s time trial and fifth in the Junior Men’s road race. What a way to end your junior career.

AS: The Worlds in Wollongong was one of my top performances as a junior. Super grateful for the opportunity from USA Cycling and their support to even have a chance to compete at a race like the World Championships, so I was just excited to be there. Being able to pull off a decent result definitely felt good. 

CN: 2023 brought you to the Continental level with Axeon Hagens Berman. Tell us about being part of this successful team.

AS: Due to an all right season in ‘22 , I was picked up by Axel Merckx and Hagens Berman Axeon. I was super excited to join one of the best development teams in the world, which has produced so many WorldTour riders. This year has been great. I’ve learned a lot of things from Axel, Koos (who is our DS) and the riders as well. But just trying to learn as much as I can this season because the transition to U23 from Juniors is a big jump. 

CN: You did a lot of criterium racing as a junior, so it was a surprise to see you in Athens, Georgia at the Twilight Criterium this spring. What made that special this time?

AS: I only raced one crit this year, Athens, and I had to race since its kind of a home race and I’ve done it ever since I was 12. I happened to be in town so I felt like I had to race and I'm glad I did because it was the best race all season. Home crowds are wild!

CN: Do you speak other languages besides English?

AS: I indeed speak Russian, and am currently learning Spanish.

CN: You are 19 years old this year and out of high school, so do you have plans to attend college?

AS: This year I was enrolled at Milligan University, a school with a cycling program. 

CN: In five years, where do you want your road cycling career to be? 

AS: In five years, I would love to reach the level of the WorldTour and hopefully win some races.

CN: Do you mix in MTB, CX or gravel?

AS: I ride gravel/cx sometimes, mostly in the winter, just to mix it up and not get bored of the road so early in the season.

CN: What do you like to do when you are NOT riding a bike?

AS: When I'm not riding a bike, I love to spend time with my friends and family. I like to keep those connections close, and I value them a lot. Or, I’m probably watching Netflix and eating.

CN: What is your dream event to ride, or to race and win?

AS: My dream event is the Tour de France. I hate to be boring but the TDF has been one of the biggest races in cycling for so long now and I believe it's every cyclist’s dream to ride or win. To win some stages there would be a complete dream.