Words by Daniel Benson

Marcel Kittel: John Degenkolb was always a natural born leader
 

On stage one of the Tour de France Romain Bardet and Frank van den Broek made history, finishing one-two in Rimini after an epic day of racing. Bardet’s double celebration included the first yellow jersey of his career and was the culmination of incredible teamwork from his Team dsm-firmenich PostNL colleagues.

One of the riders instrumental in the success was road captain John Degenkolb. The German, now racing in his tenth Tour de France, played a pivotal role in helping van den Broek infiltrate the main break of the day, and then joined forces to catapult Bardet up the road to create the winning move. Now 35, the versatile Degenkolb has seen it all, and raced in several roles, from team leader to finisher, before nestling in as the squad's well-respected road captain since returning to the team in 2022.

Those with a long memory will remember that Degenkolb was part of the team back in 2013, when he made his Tour de France debut alongside a fresh-faced teammate by the name of Marcel Kittel. That year the pair tore up the sprints, with Kittel winning four stages in total, and just like Bardet on stage one of this year’s race, Degenkolb played a pivotal role in Kittel winning the opening stage and taking first yellow jersey.

“John did a huge lead-out for me on stage one, doing a massive turn because we were the only team doing a full lead-out,” Kittel tells us as he looks back at the race with fond memories.

“It was a great team there and that was our first Tour de France together. Taking the win, and the yellow jersey, was a beautiful memory. John is a special guy because he was loyal, always a great teammate and I always felt he had the right mindset to become a road captain. He’s a really strong character, and the choices he makes are really on the right side. He gives clear direction to young riders and they can really trust his experience. He knows how to lead and he always had that. He was always a natural born leader in my eyes.”

Degenkolb’s memories of that opening stage in 2013 are just as vivid, if not a little more chaotic. The stage was also made famous by the GreenEdge team bus getting caught under the finish line gantry just an hour or two before the race was scheduled to end, and as the race organisers struggled with the situation there was talk of moving the finish to a different location as a safety precaution. 

“There was lots of confusion over where the finish would be,” Degenkolb says.

“We kept on hearing on the radio that ‘the finish is at the finish line’ and I was saying back on the radio, ‘well of course the finish is at the finish line, why are you guys telling us this?’ This was before the radios were really good enough but there was so much confusion going on. Despite that we had so much cohesion as a team, and it worked out perfectly to set up Marcel for the sprint. It was our first stage win in the Tour and our first yellow jersey. So with Romain, that was our third time winning the first stage and taking the yellow jersey, because we also did it in Yorkshire with Marcel in 2014.”

Over a decade on from that win in 2013, Degenkolb remains a lynchpin for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL. His role has evolved and morphed into something new but he remains loyal, determined and a focal point for the younger riders on the team to follow. On stage eight for example, he marshalled the team through some tricky terrain before setting up his sprinter teammates for the finale. On stage nine, like on stage one, he tried to set up his teammates to make it into the early break. He is the link between the riders on the road and the directors in the team car, communicating tactics and relaying information back and forth.

“It’s the role I had when coming back to the team and so far I can be really happy,” Degenkolb says.

“I think I can guide the team in a good way and we’ve done some good stuff in the bunch sprints. Even though I’m now one of the oldest in the peloton, I feel like I can use that experience to make myself and the team better. On a personal level, I’m in good shape and I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve got the feeling that we’re really in the race and of course, we started the Tour with a historic day for the team, for Dutch cycling and obviously for French cycling too. It was a victory that will stay with us forever, and having Romain in the yellow jersey on the second stage was the best moment of this year’s Tour for us.”

“When I look back at my career, it’s really nice because I’ve seen racing from every single angle. I’ve been in the position of having an entire team working for me, and even back then I was lucky to experience what it was like to have an experienced road captain that helped calm and to perform on a high level. So I know how important it is to have that role in a team like ours,” he adds.

As for Kittel, he is now enjoying life as a dad away from the sport. He remains a close friend of Degenkolb and the pair regularly keep in contact. It’s a bond that goes back decades but was forged through their time together as teammates.

“I have to be thankful for John because he could work for his goals but also help me in mine,” Kittel says.

“There was never a moment of hesitation from him. He’s changed from a leader into a road captain and I think he’s perfect for leading the young riders and helping them."