Confirms Tour de France is big season focus but wants to be good in every race he rides
Planning ahead after a season which saw him clock up fourteen wins, including a stage of the Tour de France, André Greipel has decided to follow the same formula in 2014 and will once again start with the Santos Tour Down Under.
The German rider confirmed his initial schedule on his personal webpage, reasoning that as things have worked well for him in the past, there is no need to change his programme around.
“I won’t change much in my preparation because the programme from the previous year proved very solid and effective,” he wrote. “Almost traditionally I start the season in January with the Tour Down Under, which in the past has already proven to be successful for me. Such a start is of course always an important foundation for the entire season.
Greipel took three stage victories in last year’s event and was also first in the preceding Down Under Classic in Adelaide. He went on to clock up a number of other wins, including stage six in the Tour de France, the German championships and the Brussels Cycling Classic. Victories also included stages in races such as the Presidential Tour of Turkey, Tour of the Mediterranean, the Tour of Belgium, and the Eneco Tour.
He took approximately a month’s break at the end of the season but started back training three weeks ago in his buildup for 2014. On Wednesday he will head to Portugal for several days and then will rendezvous with his Lotto Belisol team on December 8th to do the first training camp.
“We will discuss the rest of the race programme during the training camp, and of course the Tour de France is again in focus for me. But those who know me also know that I want to deliver a good performance at every race, both for me and for the team.”
The 2013 season saw continued strong sprinting by Peter Sagan and also a jump in form by Marcel Kittel, who clocked up four stages in the Tour de France and proved that he was the best sprinter in that event.
Greipel has said that he draws motivation from the form of his rivals, resolving to work harder in order to rise to the challenge.