Nearly a year on from his last ever race, we look back over the years at one of cycling's most dominant sprinters, and what led to his retirement at the age of 30. Subscribe for more from inCycle: bit.ly/2LKMGfA
Hate this title. Kittel was a monster at his peak and got out when he was done. Moving on to a real life after a wild and successful run in his 20s - we should all be so lucky. Big ups to Marcel.
It doesn't matter that his top form only lasted like 5 years, it matters that he was nowhere to beat in those 5 years: those Tour de France victories will always be remembered and of course Scheldeprijs.
I don't think it's fair to say he declined, he no longer enjoyed pro cycling and decided to do something else. Fair play to him. He's achieved a great amount in a short career.
@@BB-se9bl Cavendish is one of the greatest sprinter of history, maybe the greatest, but he was unbeatable from 2008 to 2011. Then, in the 2010's he was often beaten by kittel (and greipel also) for me he is one of the best sprinter of history but not the best of the 2010's
@@BB-se9bl in the early 2010,s. When kittel came to the top he beat cav more often that cav beat him... That's my opinion, in pure sprint kittel was stronger than him. But Cavendish was more complete
@@BB-se9bl Cavendish was a very bad sportsman,always finding excuses if he lost a sprint,Kittel was a genuine nice guy who never complained and knew when he was past his best unlike Cavendish who is still out there moaning!
Marcel was awesome when he was on a team that had the skills to utilize his talent. His finishing wattage must have been unreal considering his size. Nils Pollit and Cees Bol are two other big guys who must be bending cranksets with their sprint power
This will mean nothing to the majority of you, but if he'd been bought up in NZ he would have been a world class blindside flanker. That final scene there where the team is celebrating with a glass of wine, Kittel, Degenkolb, and Dumoulin. That was the team I backed. Where did their management decide not to nurture and look after their stars?
LAME TITLE....change it have some respect for the people that give so much to the sport. This is part of the reason people leave pro cycling.....at it was my reason.#benice
He holds a special place in my heart because I have only seen one Tour de France stage in person and on that day Kittel was in the maillot jaune. There's certainly no shame in his retirement with the glittering career he has had. A stage win in all 3 grand tours 14 Tour de france stage victories including the Champs-Élysées twice, AND the Yellow Jersey twice!
One of my favs. Was sorry to see him go. Beyond the mental strain we need to also look at the pressure to stay fit, lean and ready to put in countless hours of training in all sorts of weather etc. these guys and gals sacrifice so much to be on top. Maybe Marcel is sending us all a message....
After taking 6mos off, he tried to train and get back in pro form. In an interview I read he asked himself, "Why am I punishing myself like this?" When he was on top of his game, he sure was fun to watch.
It seems that many of the top sprinters through the years have a handful of unbeatable years, and then the wins just stop coming, like a switch has been thrown.
I wonder why it didn't occur to him to maybe re-train for the track and eye Tokyo. Poor team support? The prospect of an Olympic medal could be a powerful motivator.
The title is a little dramatic because he didn't "decline" or "fall", he just didn't want to be a professional anymore, unlike Cavendish who sticks around still trying but only in it for the paycheck it seems.
J b . Quickstep has always been a classics team , season is judged on wins in march and april . 1 of grand tours is the goal of sprinter so even tho they have a great roster , by the time giro or tdf comes the best lead out riders are over there peak . Diff training programs also hamper practise of a well drilled lead out .
Just like rosberg In f1. He’s been there, he’s had the wins. But when you feel like it’s time to move on to another stage in life you just had to let go. Kudos to him
He made sprinting really boring. You knew from the beginning he was going to win. Didn’t matter if cav or anybody were there. I miss his long explosive sprints.