John Degenkolb takes on a new role this spring for Picnic PostNL: "I really believe in these guys"

John Degenkolb has embarked on his fifteenth year as a professional cyclist. The German has now settled into a role at Picnic PostNL, where he will be active in the spring somewhat differently than in previous years. The man from Gera told IDLProCycling.com during the AlUla Tour.

The 36-year-old rider is in his second period with the Iwan Spekenbrink formation. Between 2012 and 2016, he achieved his greatest successes, winning races such as Milan-Sanremo, Paris-Roubaix, Gent-Wevelgem, Paris-Tours, and Eschborn-Frankfurt. He also won stages in several Grand Tours. After periods with Trek-Segafredo and Lotto Soudal, he returned to familiar territory in 2022.

"It's still very nice to ride for this team. I've spent most of my career on this team, and it still feels like family," said Degenkolb, who noticed that the team's German edge had faded somewhat in favor of an orange hue after the change of sponsors. "Has the team changed with the arrival of Picnic and PostNL? Yes and no. We have always been quite international, but also a combination of many Dutch and Germans. Now, not many Germans are left, only Nikias Märkl and myself, so you can see a trend."

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Degenkolb has rock-solid confidence in Jakobsen

Romain Bardet, who will retire from cycling in June, is the team's representative in the mountains, while Degenkolb is the one for the spring work and the sprints. Last year, the sprint train took a few blows with Fabio Jakobsen, but the German prefers to look on the bright side. "We understand each other. That also has to do with the fact that we have all stayed together as a team. We can all trust and know each other's strengths and weaknesses."

Degenkolb does not need to use his experience to boost the Dutch sprinter's spirits. "It's not up to me to motivate Fabio. It was a combination of several things that didn't go according to plan. I still believe he is well on his way to being competitive again and that he can win races." What makes Degenkolb think that? "It's a combination of things. He is more focused than in recent years, and I hope we can support him in the best possible way."

The experienced racer does not want to emphasize the title of 'road captain'. "Sometimes it is made out to be more than it is because, in the end, I am just John Degenkolb, and I try to be authentic and share the experience I have gained over the years. It is a role that I also really enjoy. And don't get me wrong: I never tell anyone they have to do something because I say so. And it helps me feel young and fresh with those young guys around me. I'm already 36 and have two years left in the sport."

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Degenkolb aims for Roubaix and wants to help teammates in spring 

Every year in March and April, we realize that Degenkolb is more than just a road captain. "I still believe that - if I am healthy - I have the level to compete at the highest level. This spring will mainly be as a domestique, and then I can still take my chances occasionally. That way, I can focus on helping and preparing guys like Pavel Bittner and Nils Eekhoff, with whom I have a lot of faith. The gap to the top is still big in the classics, but that is not the main goal. One of these days, we just have to give it our best shot," he says, explaining his team's ambitions in the Flemish spring classics.

And one race still stands out for him: the Hell of the North, of course. "If there is one race that I truly believe in, it is Roubaix. It is already marked in my calendar," Degenkolb concludes with a big smile. Even before the 2025 cycling season began, he went to explore it.  

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