Kittel shows further signs of improvement at Clasica de Almeria
18 February 2019 05:52
Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) has already bagged what was his first race victory for 11 months at the Trofeo Palma earlier this month, and came very close to taking a second win at the Clasica de Almeria on Sunday, where he was just beaten by Bora-Hansgrohe's Pascal Ackermann. Kittel ended his 2018 season after the opening stage of the Deutschland Tour in August, having suffered a season in which he felt fatigued and unable to perform at his best. While he'd taken two stage wins at Tirreno-Adriatico last March, the 30-year-old failed to fire for the rest of the season.ADVERTISEMENT It was in stark contrast to his 2017 season, when he'd taken 14 wins, including five stage victories at the Tour de France. But while tests revealed no medical reasons for his fatigue, Kittel's Katusha-Alpecin team allowed him to finish his 2018 season early in order to rest and recuperate. Now, he appears to be returning to something close to his best, with Katusha-Alpecin having enlisted former pro sprinter Erik Zabel as their performance director for 2019. "I've been working closely with Marcel for three months now and I've liked everything I've seen so far," Zabel said after Kittel's win at the Trofeo Palma. "Since December 1, we've been training and focused on this new season, not looking back, and today was a nice moment to see the results of everyone's efforts."
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