Marcel Kittel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marcel Kittel

Kittel in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Marcel Kittel
Born	(1988-05-11) 11 May 1988 (age 37) Arnstadt, Bezirk Erfurt, East Germany
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	82 kg (181 lb; 12 st 13 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Sprinter
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 14 individual stages (2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) Giro d'Italia 4 individual stages (2014, 2016) Vuelta a España 1 individual stage (2011) Stage races Dubai Tour (2016, 2017) One-day races and Classics Scheldeprijs (2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017) Münsterland Giro (2011, 2012) GP de Fourmies (2016)

Marcel Kittel (born May 11, 1988) is a German former professional racing cyclist. He raced professionally from 2011 to 2019 for teams like Team Giant–Alpecin, Quick-Step Floors, and Team Katusha–Alpecin. When he was younger, he was very good at time trial races, even winning a bronze medal at the World Championships for cyclists under 23.

When Marcel became a professional in 2011, he became known as a sprinter. This means he was super fast at the end of races, especially when many riders finished together. He won 19 stages across the three biggest cycling races, called Grand Tours. In his whole professional career, he achieved 89 wins! After he stopped racing, he became an ambassador for cycling brands like Endura and ROSE Bikes.

Marcel Kittel's Racing Career

Starting with Skil–Shimano (2011–2015)

2011: A Fast Start

Marcel Kittel began his professional journey in 2011 with the Dutch team Skil–Shimano. At first, he was known for his time trial skills. But he surprised everyone by winning a group sprint at the 2011 Tour de Langkawi. This success made him decide to become a sprinter.

He then won four out of five stages at the Four Days of Dunkirk, all in group sprints. Marcel also won his first big World Tour stage at the 2011 Tour de Pologne, where he won three more stages. He raced in his first Grand Tour, the 2011 Vuelta a España, and won the seventh stage, beating famous riders like Peter Sagan. He ended the year with two more wins at the Herald Sun Tour. Marcel Kittel was the second most winning rider in 2011, with 17 victories!

2012: Tour de France Debut

In 2012, Marcel Kittel raced in his first Tour de France. He was the main rider for his team, hoping to win stages and the green jersey (for the best sprinter). However, he had to stop racing during stage 5 because he got a stomach bug.

He bounced back in August, winning the first stage of the 2012 Eneco Tour. He was very strong in the final group sprint. Even after getting a flat tire during stage 3, Marcel won again on stage 4. He thanked his teammates for helping him get to the finish line.

2013: Big Wins at the Tour

In 2013, Marcel's team, Argos–Shimano, became a top-level team. Marcel won his first race of the season at the 2013 Tour of Oman.

At the 2013 Tour de France, Marcel became a star sprinter. He won the very first stage in Corsica and got to wear the famous yellow jersey, which means he was leading the race! He lost the yellow jersey the next day, but he wasn't done. He went on to win stages 10 and 12. On the final stage, Marcel won again on the famous Champs-Élysées in Paris. This was a big deal because it ended a four-year winning streak by another famous sprinter, Mark Cavendish. Marcel finished fourth in the Green Jersey points competition.

2014: More Success

Marcel started 2014 strong by winning the Down Under Classic race. Then he won three stages in a row at the 2014 Dubai Tour. In April, he won the 2014 Scheldeprijs race for the third time in a row, which was a first for any rider!

At the 2014 Giro d'Italia, Marcel won stages 2 and 3 in Belfast and Dublin. But he had to leave the race before it reached Italy. Just like in 2013, Marcel won the first stage of the 2014 Tour de France and wore the yellow jersey again. He lost it on stage 2, but he still won stages 3 and 4. He also won the final stage on the Champs-Élysées for the second year in a row! In September, Marcel won the first and last stages of the 2014 Tour of Britain.

2015: A Tough Year

In January 2015, Marcel won the Down Under Classic again. But after that, he struggled with a virus that made it hard for him to race well. He tried to come back in May at the 2015 Tour de Yorkshire but had to stop. He also pulled out of the 2015 Tour of California due to illness.

Because he wasn't in top shape, Marcel was not chosen to race in the 2015 Tour de France. He said this was "without doubt the most difficult time of my career."

Moving to Etixx–Quick-Step (2016–2017)

In October 2015, Marcel signed a two-year deal with a new team, Etixx–Quick-Step.

2016: Back to Winning

At the 2016 Dubai Tour, his first race with the new team, Marcel won two stages. He also won the overall race and the points competition. He continued his success in Portugal at the 2016 Volta ao Algarve, winning stage 1 by a lot. He also won stage 4 and the points jersey there.

2017: Tour de France Domination

Marcel had an amazing year in 2017. He won five stages in the 2017 Tour de France! This brought his total number of Tour de France stage wins to fourteen.

Joining Team Katusha–Alpecin (2018–2019)

2018: New Team, New Challenges

Kittel at the start of the 2018 Milan–San Remo

For the third year in a row, Marcel started his season at the 2018 Dubai Tour, but he didn't win any stages there. He got two wins in 2018, both at the 2018 Tirreno–Adriatico race.

2019: Retirement

Marcel Kittel with Jonas Deichmann

Marcel started 2019 well, winning the Trofeo Palma race and taking second place at the 2019 Clásica de Almería. However, he had to pull out of the 2019 Tour of California and the 2019 Tour de Yorkshire before they even started, saying he had health issues. On May 9, 2019, he and his team Team Katusha–Alpecin agreed to end his contract. Marcel decided to take a break from professional cycling because he was feeling very tired.

Marcel Kittel officially announced that he was retiring from professional cycling on August 23, 2019.

Major Achievements

Source:

Grand Tour Race Results

This table shows how Marcel Kittel did in the three biggest cycling races, called Grand Tours.

Images for kids

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  Marcel Kittel in 2018

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  Kittel at the start of the 2018 Milan–San Remo race.

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  Marcel Kittel with Jonas Deichmann.

See also

In Spanish: Marcel Kittel para niños