Marcel Kittel to miss Tour de France

German sprinter's fitness is the catalyst in being left out by his Giant-Alpecin team

Photo : Yuzuru Sunada

(Image credit: Yuzuru SUNADA)

Marcel Kittel will not ride the 2015 Tour de France, as he is not at a high enough level of fitness to compete in the three-week race.

The German has looked out of sorts since making his season debut at the Tour Down Under in January, and has been laid low with illness for much of the season. His last competitive race was at the Ster ZLM Tour, but the sprinter was unable to feature alongside his rivals on any of the stage finishes.

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Richard Windsor

Follow on Twitter: @richwindy


Richard is digital editor of Cycling Weekly. Joining the team in 2013, Richard became editor of the website in 2014 and coordinates site content and strategy, leading the news team in coverage of the world's biggest races and working with the tech editor to deliver comprehensive buying guides, reviews, and the latest product news.


An occasional racer, Richard spends most of his time preparing for long-distance touring rides these days, or getting out to the Surrey Hills on the weekend on his Specialized Tarmac SL6 (with an obligatory pub stop of course).