WTF Happened To Marcel Kittel? Germany's Superstar Sprinter 

I saw him on a Dutch TV show during the TdF, and he seemed like a man completely happy with his life choices. Maybe nothing bad happened to him, he just couldn't bring it up to be a pro anymore and retired at the right time.

the german GCN has a good interview with him, he seems to be happy nowadays. For a guy close to 90kg it was probably insanely hard to compete with guys over 20kg lighter than him in terms of w/kg but he needed that stature to perform the way he did. He had some amazing seasons and moved on when it got too much for him, don't see anything wrong with that tbh.

The Kittel-Greipel-Cavendish sprint battles with the occasional wild Sagan seasoning was soooo entertaining. I too wondered how did he fall off so fast! And it was fun to see the two "huge" Germans compared to all the bony riders. Greipel was a very decent climber for his size and compared to other sprinters. Kittel was an awesome sprinter but he sure struggled with mountains, even compared to the other sprinters.

When you look at time spent over functional threshold power throughout the year or a grand tour - the biggest guys spend significantly more time suffering than the rest. It adds up and ends up being both mentally and physically exhausting. The fact that a 194 lb (88kg) dude could even finish the Tour let alone win in Paris is incredible.

He proved himself a winner and decided to move along with life outside of pro cycling. More power to him. Pro cycling isn't everything in life. My hat goes off to him and his family.

He was an awesome rider and sprinter and I’m glad we got to see him. I’m pleased for him that he’s found something else to do and I bet he’s happy that he changed over, all the luck to him!

Whether comment or not always leaves a like.😍 Love your updates.

Enjoyed the video. Thanks for sharing.

Really great video! I enjoyed it a lot.

nothing went wrong for this great champion there is an end for everything and this was his, a great career.👍

Made it look easy at one point. I was noticing a young Sagan nipping at his heals a lot too!

I'm new to the channel, but did I just hear you say "streets ahead" (around 4:28)? Pierce is so proud :"D

I really miss his hair at TDF

Absolute unit of a sprinter, I'll never forget how he won a stage by just 6mm that was incredible and hilarious

A great man on the bike, an even greater one away from the bike.

Absolutely loved watching Marcel Kittel ride. He was a beast in the sprints. Don't blame him in the least for retiring when he did. The Grand Tours are ridiculous in terms of length, demanding routes. Road furniture is some countries is outlandish and increasing lack of control over spectators is a real danger. Sometimes route organizers are idiots. UCI is a big problem in terms of their lack of anything that would offer protection or assistance to the cyclists. Only thing UCI cares about is $$$$. I wish Marcel the best in whatever he chooses to do.

Another very well done video.

Looked forward to this one, top class.

I'm sure he's enjoying life now after racing. He was a monster at sprinting though, could really turn up the power in a second or two

WHAT? Why do you say: "what went wrong"? Why does something have te been gone wrong when a sportsman has good personal reasons to stop?????

With his sunnyboy charme, his look and physique he was/could have been tne next Cipollini. But as a german I didnt really know that he already retired, only wondered why I didnt hear his name anymore.

I’m gonna say it. When this guy was in his prime there was no doubt he was the fastest sprinter in the world, he absolutely dominated cav when he came onto the scene. An absolute powerhouse

I don't know if this completely factual so I could be wrong but from memory, Kittel was the only sprinter I've ever seen come around Cavendish when Cav was dropped off first wheel with under 200 to go

He was one of my favorites ❤️

He was a great sprinter ......BUT .....He is a very smart man to hang up the wheels & go back to school and seek a viable career because after 30 years old your days as a sprinter are numbered

Marcel Kittel was a generational talent. A legend of the sport.

I'm an American cycling fan and was sad to see him retire

He is happy being a dad.

Congrats to Marcel for doing what he wants.

Miss this guy

the demands of pro cycling are like no other career. It requires a certain defect in the psyche. He became sane and moved on.

This guy was good

very cool

I enjoyed this vid, but the title leaves a bit to be desired. Man, he was/is great.

Do one on Egan the Forgotten

Kittle was a beast 💪 chingon

How many guys can claim they beat Sagan in a sprint at his peak? Kittle was a beast.

hero forever

I´m not sure if there´s an english version of his biography "Das Gespür für den Augenblick", which was released in fall 2021. If I remember correctly, a lot of problems within the Katusha Alpecin team influenced his decision to quit the sport. He just wasn´t able to get along with some of their staff - some of which had a very "conservative" view on how the team´s cyclists should be trained & treated. Katusha was also a somewhat troubled team at the time in general. They had a bad rep when it came to suspected doping. Kittel was basically bought to win them sprint stages but not given the appropriate support. A result from the difficulties were the few victories he was able to score with the team. He just didnt have the support anymore which he experienced earlier while riding for Skil / Shimano & Quickstep and this ultimately ended his career in a rather harsh way.

Tom Dumoulin Next since he retired

2:51 Cavendish on the left!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On the podium today :/

Aye up

A lot of people don't know but Marcel's Kittlel's brother was Vanilla Ice.

He really filled his shorts out well. The guy was a beast with those legs, the power, and good looks. I am sure he got all of the girls.

Kittel, like Dumalin, is a victim of the increasing demands teams place on riders. Living under the microscope of directors that obsess over every detail of riders lives can't be any fun.

I saw few videos about him "what happened" and like he "failed". This seems just like normal career. Win races, didnt win ALL of races but considerable amount. Slowly over time he just couldn't compete with top tier riders thats it.

this guy is huge but when he was a guest in a recent gcn video alongside gcn host connor dune he looked small

No way this guy said he was "streets ahead".

0:15 prestige to his name or face?

Had earned enough money and that made it possible to make his decisions. Dont forget that! Why did Merckx back in the day ride so much on road and track? In these days you had to earn most of your money with having results instead of a big contract beforehand.

He is backpacking with GCN 😆

Peter Sagan called him once "The Kittle""

At his peak, I think he was the most powerful sprinter I've ever seen. But your legacy isn't just about peak performance, it's about sustaining it

Fun fact: there isn't a rainbow jersey for the team time trial, just a medal 🥇

I am just not down with sprinters. Set in out day, then...! I prefer the Northern Classics especially when the winner breaks all rivals.

One of my best friends is one of the greatest track champions of all time-a great sprinter. Another friend has like, 10 top ten finishes in the TdF. This question is the most intriguing to me. This video completely glosses over the most obvious problem.

Greatest sprinter ever.

I miss Kittel. If he was still racing he would have been destroying the top sprinters now, beaten Wout no problem

Jeez really! This topic hasn’t already been aired ad nauseum? 🤦‍♂️

Is he the fastest sprinter of all time?? I think he was better than Cav head to head.

Does he even shave his arms??? Aero hairs??

Same as Tommy D. Realised pro cycling isnt worth the torture and crap.

WTF happened to cycling Dane?

Soooo... wtf is he doing now? That's why I clicked. I know his career... is he still in school? Working?

tl;dw: he quit

Too many temper tantrums, not enough discipline.

It's still not clear; just reruns and blah, blah,

cyclists are underpaid i suppose

Seems like he was better suited for American crit-style racing to power down the laps without a sweat and fry everyone in the sprints. But would have only been a fraction of the money by doing so

I'll be the old fart for a bit. Is it a good thing to have an abbreviated vulgarity to be so ubiquitous?

He took drugs, then he quit and he sucked. Also, I had a relationship with Tess prior to him. And she kept coming back to me after Marcel was away. He got fed up with that. People reading this, think it's a joke, but it's not.

thecyclingdane: WTF Happened To Marcel Kettle? also thecyclingdane: 1:20 thecyclingdane, come on, lets make tea🫖🍵