Now in his second year as a professional, Marcel Kittel has said he is psyched to be in top shape for the first Tour de France of his career this July.
His Argos Shimano team was recently awarded a wildcard for cycling’s top event, and Kittel is determined to make the most of that opportunity.
“I am really looking forward to it. It is the biggest race in cycling. I am very excited, of course, and am 120 percent motivated for my preparation and to be in my best condition there,” he told VeloNation.
“I just want to enjoy the race and of course I think we as a team have also a chance to go for the win on a stage in the sprint.”
Kittel was speaking in a video interview carried out earlier this week at the Presidential Tour of Turkey. He explained at the time that he had missed out on the chance to chase a stage victory there due to bad luck; on day one he was delayed behind a crash, while on day two the team didn’t quite get the leadout correct.
Since then, the undulating roads caught him out, meaning he didn’t contest a bunch sprint for several days. Yesterday gave him a chance to show his finishing speed, although he narrowly missed out on the win due a strong ride by Belgian Iljo Keisse (Omega Pharma Quick Step).
He will have a chance to chase a win on today’s final stage in Istanbul.
As Kittel explained, the Presidential Tour of Turkey is partly about rebuilding his condition, even if he would also like to clock up a victory.
“After Scheldeprijs I had a small break, then restarted training,” he said. “This is my first race. For me, I want to get into good shape again and look for a few good sprints.”
After clocking up a record eighteen wins for a neo pro last year, Kittel has had a strong start to 2012. He has topped the podium five times, taking a stage of the Eotile de Bessèges, two in the Tour of Oman, one in the Three Days of De Panne and Scheldeprijs.
After the Turkish event concludes today, his next race will be the Amgen Tour of California.