Marcel Kittel thrilled to finally beat the Tour de France's best
After winning the opening stage and spending day in the yellow jersey of race leader, Marcel Kittel's remaining wish at the 2013 Tour de France was the opportunity to earn his stripes against the best sprinters in the world.
Finally, in Saint-Malo at the end of stage 10, the race gave the German exactly what he wanted; a chance to lift his arms across the finish in front of Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quickstep), Andre Greipel (Lotto-Belisol) and Peter Sagan (Cannondale).
"It was something that I was really looking forward to," Kittel said after the stage. "We had the moment when all the sprinters are there, nobody crashed and we could fight actually against each other and fight for the win."
Although the 25 year-old didn't actually get a chance to take his hands off the bars in the seaside town's narrow finish, he has now won the most stages of this year's Tour - two - with each of his sprint rivals remaining on one apiece.
"I'm very proud that I could show today how fast I am, how strong I am, how strong my team is, how well we work together," he added. "The only not nice thing was that Tom [Veelers] crashed at the end."
The win also cemented Kittel's Argos-Shimano team as one of the top dogs when it comes to leading out in the final kilometres of a flat stage. Along with Greipel's Lotto-Belisol team, they perfectly positioned their leader in the finale, allowing Kittel to follow his countryman and nip round him at the line.
"The guys brought me right to the front with 1000m to go and it was easier to sit there than wait until the last moment to sprint," said Kittel.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Contrast this with Cavendish, who again was left with too much ground to make up after the engine of his Omega Pharma-Quickstep sprint train coughed, spluttered and misfired.
Argos moving up
During the first rest day, Kittel told CW that the team, which was promoted to the WorldTour ranks at the beginning of this year, had earned the respect of its rivals. He reiterated this at the finish of the stage, while Greipel's teammate Adam Hansen went as far as to place them ahead of Quickstep and Cannondale in the sprint train pecking order.
"They already do a lot of work, and Argos were one of the first teams with us to work at the beginning of the race," he said. "They work more than Quickstep at the moment and they work more than Cannondale at the moment. Respect to them; they're riding very well and they have won the most stages so far, so chapeau!"
Quickstep, it seems, have again failed to gel when it matters most.
"I don't think they [Quickstep] have been racing so long together and sometimes they're good, sometimes they're not," added Hansen. "And that's down to lack of experience together."
Tour de France 2013: Stage reports
Stage nine: Martin wins stage as Froome fights to keep lead
Stage eight: Froome wins Tour mountains stage to take overall lead
Stage seven: Sagan scores first win of 2013 Tour
Stage six: Greipel wins as Impey moves into lead
Stage five: Cavendish wins; Gerrans keeps lead
Stage four: Orica win Tour's team time trial to put Gerrans in yellow
Stage three: Gerrans outpaces Sagan to take win
Stage two: Millar denied yellow as Bakelants takes spoils
Stage one: Kittel wins chaotic opening stage
Tour de France 2013: Podcasts
Podcast six (stage nine)
Tour de France 2013: Comment, analysis, blogs
Moto blog part one (July 9)
Lessons learnt by Team Sky after Tour visits Pyrenees
Was Sunday (stage nine) a missed opportunity for Froome's rivals?
Rest day review (July 8)
Tour de France: 100 Tours, 1,000 stories
Tour de France 2013: Photo galleries
Stage nine by Andy Jones
Stage nine by Graham Watson
Stage eight by Andy Jones
Stage eight by Graham Watson
Stage seven by Andy Jones
Stage seven by Graham Watson
Stage six by Andy Jones
Stage six by Graham Watson
Stage five by Andy Jones
Stage five by Graham Watson
Stage four by Andy Jones
Stage four by Graham Watson
Stage three by Graham Watson
Stage two by Graham Watson
Stage one by Graham Watson
Team presentation by Graham Watson
Read Cycling Weekly magazine on the day of release wherever you are in the world with our iPad and iPhone edition - International digital edition, UK digital edition. And if you like us, rate us!
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Founded in 1891, Cycling Weekly and its team of expert journalists brings cyclists in-depth reviews, extensive coverage of both professional and domestic racing, as well as fitness advice and 'brew a cuppa and put your feet up' features. Cycling Weekly serves its audience across a range of platforms, from good old-fashioned print to online journalism, and video.
-
'There's still some room for improvement' - Tadej Pogačar thinks he can get even better in 2025
After winning the Triple Crown of the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and the World Championships, Pogačar wants more
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
Patrick Lefevere to step down as Soudal Quick-Step boss
Controversial Belgian to be replaced by Jurgen Foré after over 20 years in charge
By Adam Becket Last updated
-
‘You can see the power you need to survive the Tour de France’ - Marcel Kittel reflects on his most successful years
Marcel Kittel retired from professional cycling as not only one of the best sprinters of his generation, but one of the most successful in the history of the Tour de France.
By Alex Ballinger Published
-
Marcel Kittel talks us through his best year
Marcel Kittel has been pondering the question for a week. “How do you define your best year? Do you take victories as the most important factor?” It was what Chris Marshall Bell assumed when he first made contact for this interview
By Simon Richardson Published
-
‘Cycling is beautiful but professional sport is another story’: Marcel Kittel on his decision to retire at 31
Marcel Kittel has shared more of his motivation for retiring from pro racing at 31.
By Alex Ballinger Published
-
'I took some time for myself': Marcel Kittel gives update on his time off the bike
The German sprinter quit his Katusha-Alpecin team in May
By Jonny Long Published
-
'I felt unbeatable until he came along': Mark Cavendish pays tribute to great rival Marcel Kittel
Cavendish has thanked Kittel for being a rival that lifted his game after the German quit Katusha-Alpecin to take a break from racing
By Jonny Long Published
-
'I'm facing a difficult period': Marcel Kittel responds to criticism over poor form
Team bosses had publicly criticised Kittel after he was dropped on the flats and finished 99th at Scheldeprijs
By Jonny Long Published
-
The nine best bike throws in the history of cycling
Cycling Weekly looks back at some of the most memorable bike throws of all time, from Bradley Wiggins's stylish Trentino effort to Dumoulin's hissy fit.
By Alex Ballinger Published
-
Marcel Kittel says blood doping revelations ‘a slap in the face to clean athletes like him’
Marcel Kittel has responded to the blood doping revelations after his former team-mate was caught up in the scandal.
By Alex Ballinger Published