John Degenkolb re-emerged from the shadow of his Giant-Shimano team-mate and German compatriot Marcel Kittel to enjoy a hugely successful year.

The German pulled on the yellow jersey at Paris-Nice – and nearly held it on the undulating stage which followed after a gutsy ride – and rarely looked back from then on.

A disappointing 39th place finish at Milan-San Remo was counter-balanced by winning Gent-Wevelgem and finishing second at Paris-Roubaix before Degenkolb returned to the ranks to support Kittel at the Tour.

Despite a ruptured gluteus Degenkolb also picked up two second place finishes of his own, though his biggest success came in Spain a month later. Four stage wins took the 25-year-old’s career tally at the Vuelta a Espana to nine and ensures he left the race with the green jersey – the first sprinter to do so for four years, despite a crash on stage seven which led to an infected cut.

After a hugely successful year, Degenkolb once again proved there is more than one German in Giant-Shimano’s sprint armory.

John Degenkolb in 2014

Race wins: 10
Grand Tour stage wins: Vuelta a Espana x4
Champagne moment: Bagging four stages at the Vuelta a Espana on his way to becoming the first sprinter since Mark Cavendish (in 2010) to win the green jersey.