Marcel Kittel: I'm not taking Cavendish's place, but starting afresh

German sprinter Marcel Kittel says he is not simply stepping into Mark Cavendish's shoes at Etixx-QuickStep, as he sees the change in teams as a fresh start

Marcel Kittel wins, Tour of Britain 2014 stage one

When German Marcel Kittel joins Etixx-QuickStep for the 2016 season, he will not simply take the driver's seat that Mark Cavendish left vacant, but will restart from zero.

Cavendish is leaving Etixx-QuickStep to join MTN-Qhubeka for next season, after three years and 34 wins with the Belgian WorldTour team. Kittel announced on Monday that he would leave Giant-Alpecin after five years and join Cavendish's former squad. However, it is not simply a  case of one super-sprinter slotting in for another.

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