Argos Shimano leader Marcel Kittel didn’t figure on today’s finish of the Presidential Tour of Turkey due to the tough climb to the finish line, but the German rider sees two more opportunities to add to his victory total before the race ends on Sunday.
Kittel sprinted to success on the opening stage of the race. Since then the lumpy terrain and aggressive racing has foiled his chances of going for another win, and he was also involved in a big pileup four days ago. Fortunately he was not badly hurt then.
“I feel good. I like the Tour of Turkey and with the win it makes it even better. I enjoy every stage,” he told VeloNation in a video interview yesterday.
“I think I had a good start to the season. So far I have got four victories – I think that is okay. I got also some victories in what were very important races for me. I am happy.”
Those victories include his second successive Schledeprijs title, where he beat Mark Cavendish and the rest of the bunch to the line. It confirmed his position as one of the top sprinters in the sport, and showed him that he should be able to fight for similar success in future Tours de France.
“That was very nice to defend it. I am also very proud of that,” he said.
Kittel sees two more chances for stage wins before the race ends; stages seven and eight. “That is what we will go for,” he said, before explaining what his programme will be like after the conclusion in Istanbul.
From now until July everything is about building up towards the Tour. Last year Kittel made his debut in the race but his participation was far from ideal; he had knee problems, stomach issues and dropped out on stage five.
This time round, he’s hoping things go far better. “I have the same goals as in 2012. I am looking forward to hopefully a more calm race with no injuries or sickness.” Asked if a stage win is important for his career, he’s clear about that. “I think so. It is a very big goal. It needs a lot of hard work for it. But if that is possible, then that would be really awesome.”
As for the green jersey, he wants to win a stage and finish the race first before thinking further about that. He discusses this and other matters in the video above.