German frustrated but not disheartened after another missed opportunity
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Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) looking relaxed at the start of stage 4(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Fernando Gaviria (Quick-Step Floors) wins the opener, Peter Sagan (Bora Hansgrohe) second and Marcel Kittel (Katusha Alpecin) third(Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com)
Marcel Kittel speaks to the press in Noirmoutier-En-L'Ïle(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images Sport)
Marcel Kittel is front and center with Katusha-Alpecin at the 2018 Tour de France team presentation(Image credit: Getty Images)
Fernando Gaviria wins stage 4 at the Tour de France(Image credit: Getty Images)
Marcel Kittel half-threw, half-placed his bike against the Katusha-Alpecin bus when he arrived back after stage 4 of the Tour de France, as if he wanted to unleash his fury but suddenly thought better of it. The German had placed fifth, and while the frustration was clear to see, there wasn’t quite enough to warrant damaging an €8,000 piece of equipment.
Kittel dominated the sprints at last year’s Tour, collecting no fewer than five victories, but he has found life a little less straightforward this time around.
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Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.
