Marcel Kittel: I’ll need my 2016 Giro legs to beat Cav at the Tour
German powerhouse says great Quick-Step team atmosphere key to finding his form
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German sprint star Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) has said he will need to regain his 2016 Giro d’Italia form for this year’s Tour de France if he is to regain his position at the head of its sprint hierarchy.
Last year’s Giro saw Kittel take two emphatic stage wins over a field that included compatriot André Greipel and Frenchman Arnaud Démare, and pull on the leader’s pink jersey before leaving the race to recover for the Tour.
But two months later his Tour got off to a bad start when he had to watch Mark Cavendish don yellow after the first stage — a big season goal for both men. Kittel did win a stage, pipping Bryan Coquard by a hair’s breadth in Limoges, but he never showed the dominant form that he did at the Tour in 2014.
“Yes, yes, I’ve thought about it,” he said when asked whether the apparent resurgence of Cavendish was at the forefront of his mind, “and my plan is to bring the sprint from the Giro to the Tour this year.”
Watch: Marcel Kittel's Toughest Day
The German will miss the Italian race this year to concentrate solely on the Tour de France. “My plan goes to the Tour,” he said, and insisted he’d be unlikely to ride the Vuelta a España too: “If I only do three days at the Tour I might go…”
Speaking at his team’s presentation in Belgium in early January, Kittel didn’t divulge quite how he plans to replicate his Giro form although he insisted he was feeling good for January and that the convivial atmosphere between riders at Quick-Step was a key to him finding his best legs.
“I had it at Giant too and it’s something I need for my own performance — an atmosphere of happy people. It means I can do my job as good as possible,” he said.
Team boss Patrick Lefevere has backed his charge to the hilt, deeming him a protected rider alongside fast-climbing Irish team-mate Dan Martin.
“I’m thankful for the trust of the team and I’m happy to pay that back with victories. That’s the goal,” said Kittel.
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After cutting his teeth on local and national newspapers, James began at Cycling Weekly as a sub-editor in 2000 when the current office was literally all fields.
Eventually becoming chief sub-editor, in 2016 he switched to the job of full-time writer, and covers news, racing and features.
A lifelong cyclist and cycling fan, James's racing days (and most of his fitness) are now in the past, although that doesn't stop him banging on tirelessly about "that one time" he nearly rode a 20-minute '10', and planning the big comeback that everyone knows will never actually happen.
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