Exactly ten years after his Giro dream came true, Marcel Kittel is chasing pink again — this time with Dylan Groenewegen
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Follow us on GoogleFriday 8 May 2026 is a day that will go down in the history books of Unibet Rose Rockets. Bas Tietema's team lines up in Nessebar for the start of the Giro d'Italia — their first ever Grand Tour. With Dylan Groenewegen among the frontrunners for a stage win, sports director Marcel Kittel knows exactly what is at stake. IDL Pro Cycling spoke with Kittel in Bulgaria ahead of the Grande Partenza.
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8 May 2016 — exactly ten years ago today — is already a day that lives in Kittel's own history books. Why?
"2016... the Grande Partenza in the Netherlands, was it?"
Partly correct. That day, Kittel — in Arnhem, indeed — won the only pink jersey of his career, exactly ten years before he could potentially do the same all over again with Groenewegen.
"No pressure," laughs the ever-warm German, flashing a grin.
Continue reading below the photo!
Marcel Kittel in the pink jersey at the 2016 Giro.
Kittel could ride stage 1 from memory, without navigation
But tell us — how does it feel now, being on the other side? "It's completely different as a sports director. As a rider, you approach a Grand Tour through the lens of your own goals. As a sports director, you look at the team as a whole. We have four directors here and each has their role — from logistics to sport and everything in between. I focus mainly on the sprint."
"I think I could ride this stage from memory, without any navigation," laughs Kittel, getting straight into the detail. "At the start, the roads are fairly open, and that's also true for part of the local finishing circuit, along the beach."
"The bend at 3.6 kilometres from the finish is important. That's where you come off what is essentially a motorway and enter the Burgas city area, going from three lanes down to two. Then via a series of smaller corners you make your way towards the final kilometre, which is quite a challenge with a peloton of 180 riders."
"If there's little wind, we'll arrive there with a big group. Staying in position through that phase is the challenge. The final kilometre also rises slightly in two sections, and bends left — but that point at 3.6 kilometres beforehand is actually even more important, I think." File that away for this afternoon.
Continue reading below the photo!
Dylan Groenewegen and Marcel Kittel.
Kittel on the ideal Rockets lead-out order
Kittel has been through many sprint opportunities at the start of Grand Tours and knows just how chaotic they can be. "The first day is always specific. The dynamics of the peloton aren't yet established — including for the sprinter. Everything still has to take shape, with everyone thinking they can sit right at the front."
"And then you also have the GC teams, who want to be safely positioned until three kilometres to go. That always makes it exciting," says the German, who wants to rely entirely on his own lead-out train.
Although the team has already won four times this season, the build-up has not been entirely smooth sailing. "It actually started back in March, when we lost Rory Townsend. He was originally the man earmarked for that position in the lead-out — but he fractured his tibial plateau."
"Then Karsten Feldmann stepped in brilliantly, but unfortunately he fell ill. Fortunately, we can replace him with Matyas Kopecky, and he can support our team just as well for the stages with Lukas," Kittel says, finding a silver lining. "But above all, it's a terrible blow for Karsten."
Ideally, the train now runs from Kubis to Kopecky to Reinders — with Groenewegen then having a clear run to make the Rockets' pink dream come true, ten years after their sports director's own. "That is of course the ultimate," Kittel confirms.
Yes, Marcel. No pressure.
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Tom van der Salm (27) comes from the charming town of Zeilberg (Deurne) in the Netherlands and has been working as editor-in-chief & journalist at IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, In de Leiderstrui, since 2019. He travels with the peloton from the Tour de France to the AlUla Tour and from the World Championships in Rwanda or Canada to the Zilvermeercross in Mol. In his spare time he enjoys playing football, mountain biking, running, walking with his Labrador/Stabyhoun, investing, holidays, (specialty) beers, reading, cooking and watching sports & documentaries!
Contact: [email protected]
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