Marcel Kittel pleased with win in 'hectic' Tour of Britain sprint
Marcel Kittel comments on the opening stage of the 2014 Tour of Britain in Liverpool

“Hectic and messy” is how Marcel Kittel described his winning sprint on stage one of the Tour of Britain in Liverpool.
The Giant-Shimano sprinter beat Italian Nico Ruffoni (Bardiani-CSF) by half a bike-length with an injured Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma–QuickStep) settling for third in the 104km race.
But Kittel’s leadout was made complicated before a crash further down the peloton opened up an opportunity for team-mate Tom Veelers to set the German up.
He said: “It was pretty hectic and messy with the crash at one kilometre before the finish.
“We decided during the race to try and stay on the right side of the road. After the last right corner I thought it was a wrong decision because we were pretty far to the left and it was hard to get riders up through the right.
“Riders try to move up on the left and the right side and the road went to the left a bit and a lot of riders stayed on the right and that was when they crashed.
“Luckily after that crash we could move up and go to the front. Tom Veelers chose a really good moment to go right to the front. He timed it well to protect me from the wind so I could save myself for the sprint.”
Discussing Cavendish’s crash, Kittel said that such an incident “can affect your concentration and your focus.” He added: “If you have pain as well it’s not perfect but he still tried to sprint.”
Kittel is still not appreciative of teams only having six riders in the Tour of Britain, saying that it makes it difficult to control the race.
“It is difficult because when Mark crashed today we could only use a maximum of two guys in the wind (to wait for Cavendish but to control the breakaway). We were lucky that Sky helped us.
“If you have only two or three guys to pull it can be close with the breakaway.”
Mark Cavendish taken to hospital after Tour of Britain crash
Manxman fell heavily after hitting Rapha Condor-JLT team car attempting to rejoin peloton after comfort break.
Marcel Kittel takes opening Tour of Britain stage win in Liverpool
Mark Cavendish involved in crash during Tour of Britain opener; Marcel Kittel takes race lead
Thank you for reading 10 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
Chris first started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2013 on work experience and has since become a regular name in the magazine and on the website. Reporting from races, long interviews with riders from the peloton and riding features drive his love of writing about all things two wheels.
Probably a bit too obsessed with mountains, he was previously found playing and guiding in the Canadian Rockies, and now mostly lives in the Val d’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees where he’s a ski instructor in the winter and cycling guide in the summer. He almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.
-
-
Arduous conditions leave Unbound riders with broken bikes, and countless hours and thousands of dollars wasted. Is Unbound worth it?
‘Amateur riders deserve to have a better experience’ says pro Sofia Gomez Villafañe calling on the organizers for reroutes and more services
By Anne-Marije Rook • Published
-
New Canyon Grail breaks cover at Unbound
Canyon Bicycles teased out their new Grail gravel bike at Unbound Gravel in June. The racey steed was ridden to victory in two events this weekend.
By Joe Baker • Published
-
'This is insane': Alberto Dainese comes back from illness to triumph in photo finish on Giro d'Italia stage 17 sprint
DSM rider finished last on Sunday's stage with a stomach bug, but bounced back to take win in his home region
By Adam Becket • Published
-
‘It’s been nice rubbing shoulders with the big boys’ - Great Britain’s Max Poole shines at Tour of the Alps
20-year-old won the best young rider classification at five day stage race in Austria and north east Italy
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Jumbo-Visma set to use adjustable tyre pressure systems at Paris-Roubaix
The Dutch team and DSM will both utilise different systems on the cobblestones of the ‘Hell of the North’
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Pfeiffer Georgi relishes new leadership role at Team DSM
'I feel like I’m able to be more in the race,' says the in-form Brit
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
‘It was perfect being boxed in’ - Charlotte Kool doubles up on final day of UAE Tour
The Dutchwoman proved the fastest, while Elisa Longo Borghini toasts overall victory with ice cream
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
‘I’m excited to be in the game myself again’ - Charlotte Kool stuns world's best at UAE Tour
The Team DSM rider sprinted into the spotlight with victory on stage one
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Meet Sean Flynn, the Edinburgh-born mountain biker moving to the WorldTour with DSM
The 22-year-old has stepped up to elite level after two years with development teams, and is looking to push on
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Flying Dutchwoman: Lorena Wiebes on pressure, winning at the Tour de France, and leaving DSM
The SD Worx rider won 22 races in 2022, including two stages at the Tour de France Femmes and a clean sweep at the RideLondon Classique. She told Adam Becket how she did it
By Adam Becket • Published