Marcel Kittel has enjoyed stunning success since first swinging a leg over the Giant Propel Advanced SL and the sprinter will continue to use Giant’s aero road machine in 2015.

In fact, Kittel got his 2015 campaign off to the perfect start by winning the People’s Choice Classic criterium in Adelaide, Australia, ahead of the Tour Down Under.

While the German’s team has undergone a change of name during the off-season, with Shimano leaving and shampoo company Alpecin coming on board as co-sponsor to form Giant-Alpecin, Kittel remains as fast as ever.

The Giant Propel was introduced ahead of the 2013 Tour Down Under and, since then, Kittel has established himself as the fastest sprinter in the peloton, winning eight stages of the Tour de France in the past two years.

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Kittel’s Propel has had a new lick of paint to reflect his team’s new sponsor, with a black, white and red colourway to match Giant-Alpecin’s 2015 kit. There’s also a flash of blue on the downtube in a nod to Giant’s trademark colour.

While Shimano are no longer a title sponsor, the Japanese firm continues to supply the team with components, with a full Dura-Ace Di2 groupset and Dura-Ace wheels (available in a range of depths according to the conditions), alongside finishing kit from Shimano subsidiary PRO. A Pioneer power meter records Kittel’s considerable wattage.

The Propel isn’t the only bike available to Giant-Alpecin riders, with the Giant TCR Advanced SL pitched as the all-rounder in the range and likely to be the weapon of choice for the team’s GC men. The team will also deploy the Trinity Advanced SL in time trials, while the Defy Advanced SL endurance bike is an option at the cobbled Classics.

Finally, Giant are also now supplying the team with helmets and have developed a new aero road lid which Kittel wore during the People’s Choice Classic. Details are scarce at the moment but Giant say it will be officially launched and commercially available later in the year. Watch this space.