Arnstadt's Marcel Kittel (Argos-Shimano) was voted Sportsman of the Year 1 by German sports fans in the Sport2013 election. The television broadcaster has been conducting its poll for ten years, which, with almost 350.000 votes, is one of the most important in Germany.
From the point of view of cycling, which is often avoided or viewed with envy in the general media due to its recent past, the choice is particularly important if you consider the competition against which Kittel prevailed. The four-time Tour stage winner and wearer of the yellow, green and white jersey won with 29,6 percent of the votes, clearly ahead of Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel, who received 26,1 percent of the votes, and the captain of FC Bayern Munich Philipp Lahm, who came to 14,3 percent.
Kittel was pleased with the choice, but also down-to-earth as usual: “I accept the award on behalf of all young cyclists who have taken a pioneering role in the anti-doping fight and have taken a clear position in favor of clean cycling. Our sport is well on the way to becoming sustainable again. We have shown that cycling, which is our passion and passion, can make headlines not only with doping reveals but great results. The fans and the population recognize this. This election showed that and I am particularly pleased about that.”
Kittel won a total of 2013 races in 16. The most important successes were the victory on the first stage of the Tour de France in Porto Vecchio, which also gave him the coveted yellow jersey, as well as the prestigious success at the end of the tour on the Champs Elysées in Paris.