Erik Zabel joins Katusha-Alpecin as performance director

07 December 2018 09:03
Katusha-Alpecin revealed their new kit for the 2019 season, and introduced their new performance director Erik Zabel and director sportif Dirk Demol, at an official presentation in at the Canyon headquarters in Koblenz, Germany. Sprinter Marcel Kittel, who says he has found extra motivation ahead of a new season, modelled the new baby blue jersey along with the team's traditional red shorts on stage. "When things go wrong, it forces you to look at how you do things and where you focus your energy," said Kittel, who had a subpar season with only two victories, both at Tirreno-Adriatico in March. Kittel was time-cut from the Tour de France and didn't finish the BinckBank Tour or Deutschland Tour. In agreement with his team, he ended his season earlier than scheduled in August. He has already kick-started the upcoming season by riding the Saitama and Shanghai Tour de France criteriums in November, and says that he is training and looking forward to 2019.ADVERTISEMENT "I am at a point where I am focusing 100% on my training and my races – I realize I need to focus on the basics. I started training early now for next season, I am feeling fresh and motivated to win again," he said. Zabel back with Katusha The team will mark its 11th season on the WorldTour with 24 riders presented on stage in Koblenz, along with Zabel, as the team's new performance director, and Demol as the team's new director sportif. You can read more at Cyclingnews.com.read full article

Source: Cycling News