Cycling: With second place, Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) achieved his best result of the season so far on the third stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour. Of course, the German sprinter, who is used to success, is still dissatisfied with his start to the season. After the race, however, he presented himself to the reporters as optimistic.
Kittel thought he had won
Immediately after crossing the finish line, the cameras caught Marcel Kittel. Has the German finally clinched his first win for Katusha-Alpecin? Marcel Kittel wasn't celebrating, but his body language told us he seemed to think so. In the background you could also see the guys from Sunweb cheering. Four or five pros had been almost level. With the naked eye, it was impossible to tell who was ahead. Even in slow motion, one wondered: Marcel Kittel or Phil Bauhaus? It was Bauhaus! Curious: Kittel won here a year ago by passing the already jubilant Caleb Ewan (Mitchelton-Scott). He remembered that now.
"Now I know how he felt back then. I really thought I had won. I want to see the photo.”
Kittel remains optimistic
Last year Marcel Kittel won five stages in the Tour de France. He won them so brilliantly that it was hard to imagine him ever not winning a sprint. Now he switched from Quick-Step Floors to Katusha-Alpecin - and nothing works. So far he has taken part in eight stages, finishing second once and third once. He was never allowed to cheer – at least not rightly so. Nevertheless, Marcel Kittel remains optimistic. After today's sprint, it's no wonder, because in the last 200 meters the German seemed to be just as outstanding as he was in France a few months ago.
"While it's very disappointing, today was the first day I felt normal again. I've been struggling a bit with myself for the past two days. I don't know why, maybe the heat. But I'm very optimistic. That was the first very good opportunity for us, where we could already smell the win. I knew there was a bit of a headwind. I had to find the gap somehow - and I did it. Apparently just a thousandth of a second too late.”
“That was a successful small step”
Yesterday's sprint is encouraging. But Marcel Kittel will have to wait a while for his first win of the season. He no longer gets a chance on the Abu Dhabi Tour. Now follows a time trial, followed by a mountain finish. But the season is long. Marcel Kittel knows that and he will be in top form at the Tour de France and we will see him cheering again - whether in blue, in red or in green.
"When I look at my calendar, it's still February. We still have seven months ahead of us. There are still seventy days of racing to go. There are still many chances of winning. I think that was a successful small step. I was just late and that's unfortunate. But we will still have a beer tonight.”
I really thought that I got it today. So I celebrated a second place like a victory. 😅 But it still feels good & I am happy with the performance of @katushacycling and myself. We're getting there!
Congrats to @PhilBauhaus!
#AbuDhabiTour pic.twitter.com/fYF5aIk8bc— Marcel Kittel (@marcelkittel) February 23, 2018