Marcel Kittel singles out one sprinter as absolute favorite for Tour de France sprints

First and foremost, Dylan Groenewegen was discussed, who is currently participating in the challenging Critérium du Dauphiné as part of his preparation for the Tour de France. "I understand Dylan's choice to ride the Dauphiné as preparation for the Tour. With the Tour in mind, it's wise to build toughness."

Riders such as Mark Cavendish, Jasper Philipsen and Caleb Ewan will gain that toughness in races such as the ZLM Tour and Baloise Belgium Tour. "Philipsen is the top favorite for the bunch sprints in the Tour," Kittel firmly states. "He has had such a good season, it's impressive. For me, he is the number one sprinter, followed by Groenewegen and Fabio Jakobsen."

Wout van Aert, the winner of the green jersey last year, also came up in the conversation. "I don't think that Jumbo-Visma will specifically work for Van Aert to win the green jersey, they have already expressed that. However, if he is in a good position, he can still sprint all the way to the finish. He would have already taken those risks," analyzes Kittel in De Grote Plaat.

Another sprinter, Olav Kooij, is not going to the Tour de France. There have been persistent rumors that he will be leaving Jumbo-Visma, which Kittel can understand. "He is in top form. Kooij is a guy who wants to show what he can do at the highest level, and that is the Tour de France. That's where he needs to go. I understand the choice to continue with another team."

As a German, Kittel is familiar with the culture at the teams most often mentioned in connection with Kooij: BORA-hansgrohe and Team DSM. "It is a logical option to go to BORA-hansgrohe, but that applies to other sprinters too," he says, referring to Jakobsen, among others. He also compliments his former team. "In recent months, DSM has been performing very well in terms of results. The coaching, with young riders and scouting, is heading in the right direction again."