Marcel Kittel has got his year off to a winning start with victory in the People’s Choice Classic, the annual curtain-raiser in Adelaide to the Santos Tour Down Under, which begins on Tuesday.
On the eve of the start of the 2015 WorldTour season, the Giant-Alpecin rider beat Movistar’s Juan Jose Lobato into second place, with Drapac’s Wouter Wippert third.
The 51 kilometre race took place over 30 laps of a circuit in Eastern Adelaide, and afterwards Kittel, winner of the event 12 months ago, said: “It's actually almost impossible to control the bunch in such a short race but my team mates did an awesome job.
“In the chaos I got a good lead out. I’m very happy and proud. I’m always nervous before the first race of the year and I also always want to win the first race of the year.
He added: “This is my third time in South Australia and I really like this place,” he said. “I like it even more when I win like today.”
It was the final start in the race for BMC Racing’s Cadel Evans. The Tour Down Under will be the final WorldTour event of the 2011 Tour de France winner and former world champion’s career (picture credit Regallo)
British champion Peter Kennaugh of Team Sky was one of three riders on the break as the race headed towards its halfway point, but they were brought back with eight laps remaining (picture credit Regallo)
The race brought some 95,000 spectators out onto the streets of Adelaide – here’s one cheering on Australia’s top team, Orica-GreenEdge (picture credit Regallo)
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5 thoughts on “Marcel Kittel gets 2015 off to a winning start in Adelaide”
You have to respect Cadel, a
You have to respect Cadel, a rider you would have been shocked to your core if he had doped, just seemed a genuine athlete/bloke. Nice way to be going out. =D>
lolol wrote:You have to
Speak for yourself. I would not be surprised in the slightest to learn that Evans had doped. He has links to Michele Ferrari ffs.
Doper wrote:lolol wrote:You
And he rode for Mapei.
FWIW I don’t think he was doping when he won his Tour at least. But just because he wasn’t an attacking rider doesn’t mean he wasn’t doping – look at Menchov for example.
Great start to the season for
Great start to the season for Kittel
Had the pleasure of meeting him in London during the Tour as the Team were based on the bridge, and found him to be a friendly guy, and a credit to his sponsors.
It would be a surprise to me
It would be a surprise to me if he had doped. He’s never shown the form that a doper would, in other words he never attacks with a massive kick or go from a long way out, he just sits behind people and waits for them to burn out before tootling off to the line.
I personally dont like the bloke but he was a damn good rider.