Giant-Alpecin sprinter Marcel Kittel’s season hit another roadblock when he was left off Germany’s 14-man longlist for the World Championships in Richmond, Virginia, next month.
Rival fastmen Andre Greipel and John Degenkolb made the cut, with Greipel particularly targetting the race, while three other members of Kittel’s Giant-Alpecin team are also included on the list.
A stage win and the points jersey at the Tour of Poland made it seem that Kittel may be back towards his best, but 91st at the Vattenfall Cyclassics – won by Greipel – did his cause no favours.
Kittel’s teammates Degenkolb, Simon Geschke, Nikias Arndt and Johannes Frohlinger are included in the squad as Giant-Alpecin are the most well represented trade team.
Tony Martin is on the longlist and will likely feature in both the time trial and road race, while Team Sky’s Christian Knees is also included and could be a good domestique to the sprinters.
Long list for German World Championships squad:
Nikias Arndt (Giant-Alpecin), Marcus Burghardt (BMC), John Degenkolb (Giant-Alpecin), Johannes Fröhlinger (Giant-Alpecin), Simon Geschke (Giant-Alpecin), Patrick Gretsch (AG2R-La Mondiale), André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal), Christian Knees (Sky), Paul Martens (LottoNL-Jumbo), Tony Martin (Etixx-Quickstep), Andreas Schillinger (Bora-Argon 18), Marcel Sieberg (Lotto-Soudal), Jasha Sütterlin (Movistar), Paul Voß (Bora-Argon 18)