Marcel Kittel ready for Tour of Britain assault
Sprint king relaxed ahead of race debut
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

Marcel Kittel has never been beaten on UK soil and whilst he hasn’t afforded much time off since the Tour de France the German sprint king is looking forward to returning for the Tour of Britain.
Kittel will have the chance to take first blood in his Tour of Britain race debut on Sunday with the opening stage tailored to sprinters including a fresh Mark Cavendish, who is due to start.
The 26-year-old rubbed shoulders with the British Royal Family when he won the Yorkshire Grand Depart here in July before claiming a second stage victory on The Mall. It kicked off another memorable Tour campaign in which Kittel and his Giant-Shimano team recorded a bookend quadruple stage haul for the second consecutive year.
The Duchess of Cambridge - “Kate” - won’t be at hand to greet the prolific winner as she was in Harrogate but a relaxed Kittel is nonetheless keen to see out the remainder of his season on a high note. The only deterrent may be rain.
“I’m looking for a nice way to finish the season and for sure Tour of Britain is a part of that, especially after the experience from the Tour de France,” Kittel told Cycling Weekly from Germany today. “I’m sure it’s going to be also a nice race there. If the weather stays good it should be okay.
“What I noticed last year after the Tour is it is a very big stress factor. I think it’s normal sometimes, especially after the Tour, maybe the tension is not that high any more, not all the time,” he continued.
“That’s why I would like to have a good time in the races on the bike and if there is a sprint possible then I would like to use that chance, that opportunity, and see how it goes. I think [The Tour of] Britain especially is also special because you have only six riders per team. I actually can’t remember racing with such a small team, in such a big race, so that can make also a difference.”
Kittel will enter the eight-stage race on the back of a sixth place finish at the Vattenfall Cyclassics - Hamburg. He had placed an emphasis on a result at the latter but used up resources before the finale and ultimately hit the front too late. Regardless, the triple Scheldeprijs champion is happy with his post-Tour shape even if related obligations have impeded slightly on training.
“Since the Tour de France I actually was still pretty busy with a lot of different stuff going on, not only on the bike but off the bike. There were a lot of interviews and also other media stuff, so quite interesting, a lot of things that I did for the first time. Now recently I just came back from Eurobike,” he said. “I for sure had no holiday.”
Giant-Shimano is sending a strong squad to the Tour of Britain including chief pilot Tom Veelers and road captain Albert Timmer both of whom supported Kittel at La Grande Boucle where this year he and the Dutch outfit were more the hunted than hunter. He has hit the majority of primary targets this season including a third consecutive victory at Scheldeprijs and two stage wins on debut at the Giro d'Italia.
Meanwhile, Kittel has all but ruled out honouring numerous ALS Ice Bucket Challenge nominations whilst racing in the UK, observing the true purpose of the concept, to raise money for ALS causes, has been lost in a snowball effect the challenge has spurred via social media.
“It’s just about the ice bucket challenge but not about ALS anymore, that’s what I feel,” he said.
The Tour of Britain begins Sunday with a 104.8km run from Liverpool.
Twitter: @SophieSmith86
Marcel Kittel to ride the Friends Life Tour of Britain
German sprinter will likely encounter rival Mark Cavendish during his race debut.
Marcel Kittel wins Tour de France stage three in London
Giant-Shimano sprinter Marcel Kittel takes second stage win as Vincenzo Nibali maintains overall lead
Marcel Kittel wins opening stage of Tour de France
Marcel Kittel: Exclusive gallery
Marcel Kittel: Rider Profile
Marcel Kittel - rider profile, biog, cycling results, photos
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
Sophie Smith is an Australian journalist, broadcaster and author of Pain & Privilege: Inside Le Tour. She follows the WorldTour circuit, working for British, Australian and US press, and has covered 10 Tours de France.
-
-
Signing of Mark Cavendish leads to end of Scicon's Astana Qazaqstan sponsorship
Cavendish along with several other teammates currently wearing Oakley sunglasses during competition
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Strava recognises French velociraptor as largest GPS drawing ever made by bike
Velociraptor measuring 1,024.72 kilometres took more than 43 hours to complete
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
-
‘You never know in the Tour’ - Romain Bardet fearless as he lines up Tour de France GC bid
The 32-year-old is ready to play the tactical game this July
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
Humble, grounded but not satisfied: Scottish rider Sean Flynn's WorldTour ascension
DSM have signed a rider who they believe can develop into a potential winner of hilly Classics
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published
-
Ex-mountain biker Sean Flynn completes 'dream' move to DSM
The Scotsman has signed a two-year contract with the WorldTour outfit
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published