“It’s not enough just to be a sprinter anymore” - Sprint legend Marcel Kittel ranks current crop Philipsen, Merlier, Milan & Girmay

In the modern era, few sprinters have the impact Marcel Kittel did in his short stint in the World Tour peloton. Despite riding just nine Grand Tours in a career that lasted less than a decade at the very top level, the German made a lasting impact with his performances. As such, who better is there to analyse this generation's crop of sprinters?

“What I find interesting is that it’s not enough just to be a sprinter anymore. Everyone has their own speciality. Jasper Philipsen is really good at one-day races, Tim Merlier has a background in cyclocross; and Jonathan Milan is an incredible track rider," the 36-year-old, 14-time Tour de France stage winner says in quotes collected by Velo. 

In terms of who is fastest though, Kittel sees a clear leader. “In my eyes, at the moment it’s Jasper Philipsen. He is the best. But that can of course change,” the German determines. “He’s shown that he’s not only good in grand tours and winning the green jersey, but I find it remarkable how he can win Sanremo and do really good in Roubaix. He’s a very strong climbing sprinter and he is really made for this next phase of modern pro cycling where a lot is demanded of you.”

That's not to say the Belgian is the only one catching Kittel's eye though. In Lidl-Trek's Jonathan Milan, Kittel sees something similar to himself. “He is a very massive, big tall guy and he’s got a really particular sprinting style,” Kittel says of the two time Maglia Ciclamino winner. “He moves a lot on the bike – I wouldn’t call it pretty – and in one sprint finale this year he recorded 2,000 watts at the end of a stage. That is really incredible.”

“I think these three guys represent the best sprinters at the moment, but Tim is 32 now so he’s in a different situation,” Kittel adds. “Also I am a bit in doubt about how Merlier handles the situation of being in the same team as Remco Evenepoel because it means he can’t go to the Tour de France. I personally hope, but don’t think this wish will come true, that we see all three sprinters in the Tour, but with Evenepoel there it’s very difficult. I could potentially see that he [Merlier] follows other opportunities in other teams.”

Neither of the aforementioned trio managed to get their hands on the Green Jersey at the 2024 Tour de France though, with that honour going to Biniam Girmay. “When you have won the green jersey in the Tour and three stages, to say that he isn’t one of the best would be to show no respect. He showed it on the biggest stage in cycling that he can beat anyone and he can definitely play his role," assesses Kittel, having never managed to win the iconic jersey himself in an era dominated by Peter Sagan. “But I do believe if he is up against Merlier, Philipsen and Milan in the same race, it’d be a different story. It would be a different challenge for him in terms of speed and I don’t see him on the same level.”