Marcel Kittel at Unibet Rose Rockets is much more than sprint expertise and fun YouTube videos

When Marcel Kittel signed with Unibet Rose Rockets, not many would have bet a red cent on him a year ago. The arrival of the German as ‘sprint expert’ of a newly-to-be-built sprint train says everything about the ambitions of the Dutch-licensed team with a French licence. At the NOS Kittel spoke at length about his new role.

Though he has been retired from professional racing since 2019, the German has nonetheless been a familiar presence around the peloton in recent years—mainly working as an analyst. But the itch to return grew stronger for the winner of 14 Tour de France stages. And so when Bas Tietema asked if he wanted to join the pro-continental project, he said “yes”.

"I am going to work as sprint expert, mentor riders and of course be an integral part of the team,” Kittel describes his role. “The focus is naturally on the sprinters, but in my position we will not only concentrate on sprinting, but on coaching an entire squad and building a high-performance culture. We’re going to work on communication, two levels up."

The ultimate destination is the WorldTour, and according to Kittel this is possible. “But in a different setting, because the Rockets do things differently and I find that very appealing. Apart from my experience as a former sprinter, the most enjoyable challenge is building it together—now there is a lot of freedom and so many possibilities.”

According to him, Kittel has already gained considerable life experience since retiring as a pro. He started his own children’s bike brand and has been active in the media world. In the ambition of the Unibet Rose Rockets to become the most-followed and most entertaining team in the peloton, he is keen to help. “That is an ambition that suits me very well.”

By 2026 they hope to start winning in earnest, with big names such as Dylan Groenewegen, Wout Poels and Victor Lafay already on board alongside rising talent. With a strong foundation, all those riders must now bring out the best in themselves. “You feel the ambition, with everything the team has already done, but also a plan for media. How do they want to show the team to the outside world?”

Kittel calls it “modern”, but of course when working with the sprint train it will not matter whether 10,000 or 100,000 likes are scored. With sprint-leader Dylan Groenewegen, Kittel simply wants to win. “We review with Dylan where there is room for improvement,” says the sprint coach. “And those things are there, although next time we will discuss what they are.”