Sprinting ace Marcel Kittel (Giant-Alpecin) has called his Tour de France omission the ‘most difficult’ time of his career.
The German rival of Mark Cavendish has won four stages apiece at the last two Tours and pulled on the yellow jersey after winning the first stage of both.
But his 2015 season has been wrecked by a virus, and Giant-Alpecin confirmed today they would instead be sending John Degenkolb as their primary sprinting option for the race, which starts in Utrecht on Saturday July 4.
Kittel, who had hoped to prove his form at the Ster ZLM Toer but was unable to muster any results, could not hide his disappointment though after feeling he had done enough to merit a place.
“Not being nominated is without doubt the most difficult time of my career,” he wrote on his personal website. “The forced pause this spring was already not easy.
“Although there were times I wanted to just throw in the towel, I tried to stay strong and find a way. This is just another blow to me, that I didn’t earn my team’s trust for a Tour nomination.
“It is not a good situation but on the other hand, instructive. I will learn to cope with it and thereby I will also grow.”
Degenkolb, a nine-time Vuelta a Espana stage winner, was part of Kittel’s sprint train in the last two years but will now lead the charge for sprint success instead.
Kittel admitted the virus had knocked him flat to start with, but the German – whose form has been partly responsible for German television broadcasting the Tour again this year – felt there would have been opportunities for success at the Tour were he selected.
“My form was terrible, you might say non-existent,” he added. “The virus weakened me totally. Unfortunately I kept on going out of a false ambition, and just got worse.
“Of course, after this long pause, the team is uncertain as to how long my form would hold at the Tour.
“But then again, nobody knows what would have happened if I would have started. There are several good chances for sprinters at the Tour.
“Now I must live with this decision. Hopefully I will find new goals for the remainder of the season. At this point, however, I don’t really know how to make up for this disappointment.
“I am still too busy coping with the effects of this decision. Of course I want to show again this year what I can do. It’s just that the Tour is always so important.”
