John Degenkolb facts for kids
Degenkolb at the 2017 Tour de France
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | John Degenkolb | ||
| Born | 7 January 1989 Gera, East Germany |
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| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb; 12 st 2 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Team dsm–firmenich PostNL | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Classics rider Sprinter |
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| Major wins | |||
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John Degenkolb, born on January 7, 1989, is a famous German professional road bicycle racer. He rides for the Team dsm–firmenich PostNL team. He is known for winning two of cycling's biggest one-day races, called monuments: 2015 Milan–San Remo and 2015 Paris–Roubaix.
John has also won stages in all three of the sport's major multi-day races, known as Grand Tours. He won ten stages and the points jersey at the Vuelta a España, one stage at the Giro d'Italia, and one stage at the Tour de France. In 2010, he won his first stage race, the Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23. He also won the 2014 Gent–Wevelgem and the 2013 Vattenfall Cyclassics. In 2012, he was the overall winner of the 2012 UCI Europe Tour.
Contents
John Degenkolb's Cycling Journey
Starting as a Pro (2011)
In 2011, John Degenkolb became a professional cyclist with the HTC–Highroad team. This was the same team where famous sprinters like Mark Cavendish and André Greipel had raced. In his first year, he quickly started winning. He won stages in races like the Volta ao Algarve, the Three Days of West Flanders, and the Bayern–Rundfahrt. He also won two stages at the Critérium du Dauphiné. On top of that, he won the Eschborn–Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz one-day race.
Giant–Alpecin Years (2012–2016)
A Big Year in 2012
After his first team closed down, Degenkolb joined the Project 1t4i team in 2012. He won the overall title at the Tour de Picardie by winning two stages and earning bonus time.
On August 19, Degenkolb got his first stage win in a Grand Tour at the Vuelta a España. He won stage 2 in Viana. He then won stage 5 in Logroño. He continued to win stages, taking his third victory on stage 7. He won again on stage 10 in Sanxenxo. By the end of the Vuelta, he had won five stages, including the final stage in Madrid. He also won the points classification jersey, which is given to the best sprinter.
After the Vuelta, Degenkolb won the Grand Prix d'Isbergues. He also finished fourth in the tough UCI Road World Championships in Valkenburg.
Success in 2013 and 2014
In 2013, Degenkolb won his first stage at the Giro d'Italia. This was his first win in the Italian Grand Tour. During the Tour de France, he helped his teammate Marcel Kittel win four stages. Later, Degenkolb won the Vattenfall Cyclassics race in Germany. In October, he won two races in France: Paris–Bourges and Paris–Tours.
In 2014, Degenkolb won the famous Belgian race Gent–Wevelgem. He also won stage 3 of Paris–Nice and took the points classification. He won the points classification and three stages at the Tour Méditerranéen. At the Vuelta a España, he won four stages and the points classification again. After the Vuelta, he had to go to the hospital for an infection.
Amazing Double Win in 2015
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The year 2015 was incredible for Degenkolb. He won his first race of the year, stage 3 of the Dubai Tour. In March, he achieved his biggest win yet at Milan–San Remo, winning the sprint finish. A few days later, he won the tough Paris–Roubaix race. He became the first German to win this race since 1896. He was also the first rider since 1986 to win both Milan–San Remo and Paris–Roubaix in the same year!
During the Tour de France, Degenkolb was the main sprinter for his team. He finished in the top ten in eight stages but didn't win one. At the Vuelta a España, he was the team captain. He worked hard for his teammate Tom Dumoulin and won the final stage in Madrid.
Later in 2015, Degenkolb competed in the World Championships in Richmond, Virginia. He was a favorite to win but finished 29th. He ended his season with a win at the Saitama Criterium in Japan.
Overcoming Challenges in 2016
On January 23, 2016, Degenkolb and five teammates were hit by a car while training in Spain. He suffered serious injuries, including cuts and a nearly lost index finger. He missed the important spring races while recovering. He returned to racing in May at the Eschborn–Frankfurt race. He slowly got back to form, competing in the Tour of California and the Critérium du Dauphiné. He rode in the Tour de France, finishing fourth in two stages.
In August, he won his first race since the accident, stage 4 of the Arctic Race of Norway. He also won the points classification there. He finished second at the EuroEyes Cyclassics in Hamburg. At the World Championships in Qatar, a flat tire ruined his chances. He summarized his season by saying, "That was a ... season this year. But I am still alive, life goes on."
Trek–Segafredo (2017–2019)
New Team, New Victories
In 2017, Degenkolb joined the Trek–Segafredo team. He won stage 3 of the Dubai Tour in February. He had strong results in the spring classics, finishing seventh at Milan–San Remo, fifth at Gent–Wevelgem, and seventh at the Tour of Flanders. He also finished tenth at Paris–Roubaix. He placed third at his home race, Eschborn–Frankfurt.
He rode in the Tour de France, getting several high sprint finishes, including a second place on stage 10. Later in the year, he had to leave the Vuelta a España due to illness and also missed the World Championships.
Tour de France Stage Win in 2018
In 2018, Degenkolb started strong by winning two races at the Challenge Mallorca. He had a tough spring season, including a crash at Paris–Roubaix that kept him off the bike for three weeks. He finished second at the German National Road Race Championships.
At the Tour de France, Degenkolb had a great start. On stage 9, which included many cobbled sections, he attacked with two other riders. He outsprinted them to win his first ever Tour de France stage! This was his first major win since his accident in 2016. An emotional Degenkolb dedicated the win to a close family friend who had passed away.
Later in 2018, he finished second at the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen and the Münsterland Giro. He also won the Japan Cup criterium race.
2019 Season
Degenkolb's first win of 2019 came on February 17, winning stage 4 of the Tour de la Provence. He finished second at Gent–Wevelgem on March 31. He was not chosen for the Tour de France that year. However, he performed well enough at the Tour de Pologne to earn a spot in the Vuelta a España.
Lotto–Soudal (2020–2021) and Team DSM (2022–Present)
In 2020, Degenkolb joined the Lotto–Soudal team. He crashed badly on the first stage of the Tour de France and had to leave the race. On September 17, 2020, he won stage 3 of the Tour de Luxembourg.
In 2022, Degenkolb returned to his former team, now called Team DSM. His best result that year was a fourth-place finish at the Omloop van het Houtland. In 2023, he was part of the leading group in the final kilometers of Paris–Roubaix. He crashed after colliding with another rider but still finished seventh. Later that year, he finished eighth at the UEC European Road Championships. In January 2024, he extended his contract with Team DSM until the end of the 2025 season.
John Degenkolb's Life Outside Racing
Degenkolb is married to Laura and they have two children. His family lives in Oberursel, a small city near Frankfurt, Germany. Before becoming a full-time cyclist, John was also trained as a policeman.
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In 2018, John became the first official ambassador for "Les Amis de Paris–Roubaix." This is a group of volunteers who help keep the Paris–Roubaix race course in good condition. In early 2019, Degenkolb started a fundraising campaign to save the Paris–Roubaix Juniors race, which is for young riders under 19. He raised €11,500 in less than 24 hours, ensuring the race could continue. Because of his efforts, the organizers of Paris–Roubaix honored him. A long cobbled section of the race, at d'Hornaing à Wandignies-Hamage, was named after him in 2020. He was the first non-French rider to have a section of the race named in his honor.
Images for kids
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Degenkolb at the section of Paris–Roubaix named in his honor in 2020
See also
In Spanish: John Degenkolb para niños
