"I miss climbing a bit" - Marcel Kittel says about riding his bike in retirement, living in Netherlands

More than four years ago, Marcel Kittel ended his professional career, but he still regularly rides his bike. He regularly goes out, especially with his gravel bike, preferably to the Sallandse Heuvelrug, he tells WielerFlits.

"When I get on my bike I always have a goal: to enjoy myself, preferably with other people. I no longer feel the urge to take on those really big challenges and then train for three months."

The former top sprinter's shocks with his response to which part of cycling he prefers to devote himself to in his riders. "It may sound a bit crazy, but because we now live in the Netherlands, I miss climbing a bit," he confesses.

Because although climbs are scarce, Kittel is very pleased with the east of the Netherlands as a cycling destination. "There is more nature in the east, especially more forests. In general it is also a bit quieter, partly because there are fewer large cities. It is even more fun cycling here on a gravel bike, as you are even more immersed in nature."