Tour de France history: Marcel Kittel became the German record winner of the Tour de France two years ago today. With his fourth of five stage wins in the 2017 Tour of France, he overtook Erik Zabel on July 11, 2017. Now - two years later - he is without a team and without public support.
5 stage wins in the 2017 Tour de France
The 2017 season was Marcel Kittel's year. He dominated the Scheldeprijs and the Dubai Tour as early as spring. However, his highlight was yet to come in July. The 2017 Tour de France started in Düsseldorf. As the Grand Boucle headed towards Liège, the first mass sprint took place. Marcel Kittel won. At the time, no one suspected that this would be the beginning of a serial winner. The tall, blond German also won in Troyes, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Bergerac, and Pau. With his victory on July 7th in Nuits-Saint-Georges, he equaled Erik Zabel's record for stage wins – on Zabel's birthday, no less. Both had twelve to their name. But Marcel Kittel certainly wasn't finished. In Bergerac on July 11th, he became the sole German record holder. He would increase that record to 14 just one day later . A new world-class sprinter was born.
The ascent is followed by the descent
Up until that 14th stage win, Marcel Kittel's career was thriving. Afterward, however, a rocky road began for him. He was unable to finish the 2017 Tour de France. After a crash, he had to abandon the race while wearing the green jersey . He didn't compete in many more races that season and didn't achieve any further victories. For the 2018 season, Marcel Kittel switched to the Swiss team Katusha-Alpecin. At the Dubai Tour and the Abu Dhabi Tour, the team revealed coordination problems in their sprint preparation. Things improved at Tirreno Adriatico, where Marcel Kittel secured two stage wins. But the seemingly resolved problems persisted. Marcel Kittel couldn't regain his form, criticism mounted, and his self-confidence dwindled. He finished the 2018 Tour de France empty-handed. Many months passed before his next victory. On February 3rd, he won the Trofeo Palma, a preparatory race against relatively unknown competitors. It would remain his last victory to date. Just a few weeks later, he and his team Katusha-Alpecin agreed to terminate his contract. Whether he will return is uncertain.
Marcel Kittel remains a top cyclist
Marcel Kittel's story is also a story of the public eye. Those who rise in the media elevator also ride it back down. The jubilation was immense when Marcel Kittel became the world's best sprinter at the 2017 Tour de France . Five stage wins in a single Tour de France? Incredible! That things didn't go so well for him afterward is simply part of an athlete's career. Spectators, media, and sponsors should show a little more understanding for fluctuations in performance . Especially in doping-plagued cycling, the riders should be grateful that they appear human, not like machines capable of peak performance every single day of the entire season. Marcel Kittel is going through a rough patch, that's true. But Marcel Kittel has already won 14 stages at the Tour de France in his career. Had he spread these victories over ten years as a professional, he would certainly have fared better in the public eye. But the performance itself remains the same.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnnafmPX5hI