Bike Ping
I can see there's not a lot of interest in the Tour so far, but I've got to say that today's finish in London was as good a textbook team finish as I've seen in a while. So - good on Marcel Kittel and his mates on Giant/Shimano. We haven't heard much from John Degenkolb yet, but be prepared. His value is well known on the road.
So... now it's off to France for what appears to be a casual stage with a few bumps and predominately tailing winds.
"Giant Shimano could not dream of a better start to their Tour de France. Like John Degenkolb said after his team-mate Marcel Kittel's stage win in Harrogate: “It's just extraordinary to take the yellow jersey on the first day two years in succession.” While Kittel lost the garment the next day between York and Sheffield, the German sprint star made amends on Monday by snatching his second stage laurels on the Mall in London.
The Dutch team director Christian Guiberteau claimed at the start not expecting a similar haul to last year's five stage wins but he might have been too humble. Especially as Giant Shimano have two trumps up their sleeve in Kittel and Degenkolb.
“Cohabitation between the two has never been a problem. We talked to Marcel before hiring John and things have always been clear. They do not have the same range and do not have the same schedule during the season. Of course, in the Tour they're both here because it's the greatest race in the world. But even here, their missions are different: flat stages are for Marcel and if there are bumps, it's for John,” he said.
The set-up of the Giant Shimano train also slightly differs whether it works for Kittel of for Degenkolb. But the motivation remains the same: 'Sprint really is part of the team culture.'"