Marcel Kittel (GER) was the strongest today in a chaotic sprint in the Scheldeprijs. With his speed he forced Mark Cavendish (Omega Pharma-Quick-Step) into second place and Barry Markus (Vacansoleil-DCM) into third.
The day was animated by an early break. The bunch kept the break under control, and it was never a danger. As soon as the finale started, it was one big battle for the sprinters’ teams to take control. But in the end Team Argos-Shimano was the strongest and delivered Kittel to the finish line in an impressive manner.
“The guys did a really great job and made sure throughout the race that Marcel didn’t waste too much energy. The whole race was good, and it was never a dangerous situation so almost everybody could save some energy for the sprint. It was incredible teamwork, especially in the final kilometers,” said sports manager Marc Reef.
Kittel, who also won the Scheldeprijs last year, felt some pressure before the start: “Because I was the winner of last year’s edition, everybody, including myself, expected that I would repeat the trick. Plus, we really made a goal of it after De Panne as well, so I felt some pressure. But right from the start I felt pretty good and I had a lot of faith in a positive outcome. The guys helped me throughout the whole race to save my energy. In the end no team was able to do a very good leadout. I thought I was boxed in, but Tom Veelers found me and brought me back to the front and did the leadout perfectly. I started to sprint and thought somebody would pass me, but no one did and I took the victory!
I am super happy with this win, as the season has already had some ups and downs. After Paris-Nice I got sick and had the flu, and the Driedaagse De Panne, which was a big goal for me, didn’t go well, as I was not in top shape. During that race I regained my form, though, and I was really focused on taking the win in the Scheldeprijs. This is absolutely great, but I have to say that without the teamwork we had today, I couldn’t have done it.”
