Twenty-year-old Artem Schmidt showed the World Tour peloton his potential in his second race in the Ineos Grenadiers, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, by joining a 185km breakaway group.

The American bridged to a four-man breakaway with Frank van den Broeck (DSM-Firmenich Post NL) with 185km to go in the Canadian one-day race. With 14.4km to go, they were pulled away by UAE Team Emirates.

Schmidt revealed that riding the day's moves was the plan all along, but whether he could pull it off was another thing entirely, with the young American living up to the hype as a future talent.

“The team told me to go into the break today, so that was the plan and I think I executed it well,” Schmidt told Cycling News and Cycling Weekly at the finish line in Quebec. [I'm] very grateful to be standing here after signing with Ineos. [In the under-23 category, I was always the breakaway rider, so it was nothing new.

For Schmidt, who rose to the top level of junior and under-23 with Hot Tubes Cycling Club and Hagens Bellman Jayco, joining the British team was a “dream come true” when it was announced in August. Ineos' teammates Magnus Sheffield and AJ Augusto both joined the WorldTour from the Hot Tubes Cycling Club.

Schmidt is far removed from the criterium and road racing scene in his home state of Georgia, but has been impressive in Ineos.

“I didn't know what to expect, but he rode aggressively and enthusiastically. I think he's strong enough,” said Ian Stannard, Ineos' sporting director. [I think he's strong enough and we'll see how his bike handling is on Sunday and the other races. Hopefully,

Stannard cautioned against putting too much pressure on the young American's shoulders. Schmidt is under contract with Ineos through 2026.

Asked about Schmidt's development, Stannard replied, “Time will tell.”

Asked about Schmidt's growth, Stannard replied, “Time will tell.”