Marcel Kittel on Lotto Soudal's Tour de France selection: "it's a risk to take a whole new train to the Tour"
Cycling
Caleb Ewan will be headlining Lotto Soudal's Tour de France lineup, however he will not have the company of any of his traditional leadout men - Jasper de Buyst, Roger Kluge and Michael Schwarzmann. Marcel Kittel has talked about the risks and possible consequences of this for the Australian sprinter.
"I definitely think it's a risk to take a whole new train to the Tour. A sprinter likes a fixed pattern. And certainly in the Tour you have to be able to rely on your teammates," Kittel told Sporza. Whilst Lotto Soudal will be hunting stages, they have taken a lineup very focused on breakaways, and Ewan's main leadout man will be Reinardt Janse van Rensburg who has just recently been signed into the team.
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Despite having Ewan, the Lotto Soudal leadout has failed to match that of other teams in recent times, having the firepower to keep the Australian near the front but never ahead of the competition - which contributes to his inconsistency in results. Although a risky move, the team has decided to focus on a leadout with more rouleurs such as Florian Vermeersch and Brent van Moer, and Rensburg to do the final positioning work.
"You can practice the sprint train on training, but you cannot simulate the hectic pace and everything that comes with a race. You have to test that in competitions. In the first stages it may be a bit of a search for Ewan," Kittel stresses however. "Winning fast is always important, but in this Tour more than ever. There aren't that many chances. In the first week there are two chances, but after that it's just a matter of waiting until stage 19."
"It will be difficult, but of course it is not impossible. Ewan is good at positioning, but in the Tour you always need a little help in the super fast finals. Maybe he should just use his own teammates to start the last two kilometers in a good position and then do his own thing," the former German sprinter said.
He's also mentioned compatriot Roger Kluge who has for the last few year's been Ewan's main supporting figure, however it will not be the case at the Tour. "I'm sorry for Roger. Maybe it's a factor that his contract hasn't been extended yet. In any case, it is a sign that Lotto wants to change, also in the sprint train."
"If a team is not running and is in a situation like Lotto's, there is a lot of pressure and uncertainty. At a time when you actually have to stay very cool, you are not. That is the case with the framework, but also with the riders," he concluded.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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