'Kittel Selfie' photographer apologises

David McCarthy apologises for 'any offence caused' when he took a photo of himself next to Marcel Kittel at the Giro d'Italia

David McCarthy's selfie with Marcel Kittel

A fan who took a photo of himself next to an exhausted Marcel Kittel after the German sprinter had won stage three of the Giro d'Italia in Dublin has apologised after his 'selfie' caused a Twitter storm on Monday.

David McCarthy took the photo directly after the finish of the stage on Sunday whilst Kittel was sat on the floor catching his breath. In turn, his deed was snapped by a photographer, and the picture widely distributed via social media.

From the photo it looked as though McCarthy had taken a shot of himself with Kittel after a crash, but this was not the case. Others felt that it was an invasion of privacy, no matter what the situation.

Giro overall contender Cadel Evans branded the act as "more than inconsiderate".

"To Marcel Kittel and all the people I have offended by taking the selfie, I apologise," McCarthy said in a message posted online by rider Nicolas Roche. "I did not think the photo would cause such hate towards me and cause offence."

"I got excited after the finish to see Marcel and wanted a photo and in hindsight looking back I understand the time and place was completely wrong. My sincere apologies, David McCarthy'.

Roche added: "I know David McCarthy, he is a nice kid". McCarthy is a rider on the Nicolas Roche performance team.

Kittel replied to McCarthy via Twitter: "Guess you learned your lesson. So did I when my Grandma found me playing with fireworks next to our barn full with dry hay. Oh and remember: social media can be mean... ;)"

Kittel later announced that he was abandoning the Giro after suffering from a fever overnight.

https://twitter.com/giroditalia/statuses/466156737717075968

https://twitter.com/nicholasroche/statuses/466152962533109760

https://twitter.com/marcelkittel/statuses/466169725723361280

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Nigel Wynn
Former Associate Editor

Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, n exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.