The Tour de France 2025 included a novelty that pleased most cycling fans. In the mythical stage 21 in Paris, instead of the classic route along the Champs Elysées, with a finish for the sprinters, there was a day in classic format with Montmartre as the key climb, where Wout van Aert defeated Tadej Pogacar to close the edition.
Due to its success, the formula will be repeated in 2026 (albeit in a smaller scale). This continues to delight, but has also brought criticism from purists. For example. Marcel Kittel, a former pure sprinter who won as many as 14 Tour de France stages in his professional career, regrets the direction the Tour de France is taking.
During his appearance on the Domestique Hotseat podcast, Kittel spoke with unusual frankness about a subject that is close to his heart: the shrinking place of pure sprinters in cycling. For the German, one of the great sprint references of the last decade, the transformation of the Tour de France threatens to erase an essential part of its identity.
Kittel remembers a time when the fast men had real room to build their Tour. "There used to be eight or ten chances," he reminisces. "Now, hopefully, there are four left." The change doesn't strike him as a simple adjustment of the course, but a progressive loss of the space that defined his specialty.
Flat stages, in danger of extinction?
One of the messages he insists on repeating is that you cannot demand spectacle where the route itself does not allow it.
"If a stage is completely flat, you can't expect a miracle just because there are sprinters," he explains. He considers it unfair that teams are publicly pressured to "animate" the race on days when the peloton needs to rest or where there is no terrain to create the chaos that many are calling for.
Wout van Aert defeated Tadej Pogacar in the "new" Tour de France finale
"It's the route that makes a stage exciting or not," he stresses. And when the few flat days turn into tough transition days, the result is obvious: fewer real options for those who dedicate entire weeks to surviving in the mountains.
But where the emotional charge is most noticeable is when talking about the end of the Tour. For him, the Champs-Elysées sprint was not just tradition: it was the logical culmination of the three-week effort. "A great tradition has been lost," he laments in a tone that reflects the personal implication of the memory.
Kittel is not just any observer. His 89 professional victories, including 14 Tour stages, four Giro stages and one Vuelta, put him in a privileged position to understand what Paris was all about. He won there twice, and every detail remains in his memory.
He recalls the atmosphere before the final battle: "Entering Paris, arriving on the Champs-Elysées, crossing the finish line for the first time... you immediately feel that a crucial moment is beginning.
And he also remembers something very personal: "Paris smells different. Especially the Champs Elysées. It smells of food and perfume. It's not like the other finishes of the Tour."
A new challenge in cycling
Kittel recognizes that cycling is evolving and that the new generation of pure sprinters is forced to adapt. "They have to be more versatile. They have to climb better than us," he says.
The competition has also changed: now virtually every team has its own sprinter, and every opportunity is more valuable precisely because there are fewer of them. "Every sprint is harder than before," he admits. And in that situation, the sprinters must make the most of every opportunity.
Kittel is not asking to go backwards or questioning the need to innovate. His message is different: that the Tour should not forget what made its narrative unique. The sprint stages were part of the natural balance of the race; they offered contrast, respite and, at the same time, the sheer tension of the final pitch.
"It's part of what makes the Tour the Tour," he concludes.
Read also
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 1visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026 - Watch the interview on youtube. I don't speak French. I do speak English and Spanish and you can hear it in his voice. Years ago LeMond had real personal problems I imagine in no small part because of Armstrong. then Armstrong goes round "full blast" re: LeMond having drinking and drug problems. The same way Andreu was expelled from mainstream cycling so was LeMond. On the positive side the clips of the ride and chatting with old teammates and was good. To seemed like a fun day and experience and good reason brush up his French.atom02-11-2026
- and another no-news article around the ‚2 tokyo jogging rounds‘ headline, this time spiced with some days old ‚news‘ that the LA and japan vacation trips come during or after the tdf route release. i am getting more and more annoyed by this time-stealing no-news crap. but who am i to complain? nobody forces me to come back for more ‚news‘ day after day …Ketterechts02-11-2026
- It would likely be a very steep section of 4.1 km, not changing the average gradient considerably, with the climb remaining 10.1 km at 11.8%. It would reach 20% on the gravel. It would start 1.6 km in, and finish with 4.2 km left to climb (before the short final descent)
Rafionain-Glas02-11-2026 - Welcome to the off-season.
santiagobenites02-11-2026 - guillaume martin in this list is quite a surprise as a gc rider.Ketterechts02-11-2026
- Who cares what Bruyneel thinks. He and his best mate Lance, the biggest fraud in the history of sport, have no place commenting on anything but how to lie and cheat!whit2pet02-11-2026
- Eeesh!Lozza02-11-2026
- bravo! a rider likes jonas needs motivation and he needs to believe in being able to reach goals. he - like anybody else in the world - doesn't believe that he can win the tdf with pogi present. and what's it worth for when pogi is not there? second class victory only. he has checked all three grand tours, so what is left if not retire? the classics! go for it, jonas!Ketterechts02-11-2026
Loading
3 Comments