"You always hope for a good start, not a crash": Marcel Kittel looks ahead to next opportunities as Dylan Groenewegen is cleared to start
Cycling
It's probably unnecessary to ascertain how very excited were the Unibet Rose Rockets riders heading into - what applies to many on personal level as well - the team's Grand Tour debut this Friday. Especially with an in-form sprinter Dylan Groenewegen as the core of their nomination. But, as it often goes, from the greatest heights is hardest the fall. Both figuratively and literally.
The opening stage on Bulgarian coastline was always going to lead to a bunch sprint. And with over 20 riders interested to participate in the battle for victory and the glory of pink jersey, chaos was inevitable. Yet all seemed good until the peloton arrived into the narrow final stretch. One contact between riders of Uno-X and Decathlon, and the entire road was plugged with bodies and bicycles. Including Dylan Groenewegen who has taken a rather nasty crash.
Speculations regarding his health state did not take long to form up, but fortunately good news arrived from the Rockets hotel - Dylan will be able to continue. And with him lives the dream of stage victory for Bas Tietema's formation.
"No urgent problems were identified during the medical checks," according to the Rockets. The Dutch sprinter sustained no abrasions or anything similar either at the crash.
One small mistake
The Rockets did the pace-setting all day with Hartthijs de Vries in what turned out to be a very easy stage. "It was super easy all day. We thought we would push a bit harder, but that didn't happen. We knew this beforehand too, that this can happen on the first day of a Grand Tour," late nominee for the Giro, Matyas Kopecky, told In de Leiderstrui about the day.
It’s all okay. 👍
— Unibet Rose Rockets (@rockets_cycling) May 8, 2026
After a check, check, double check, @GroenewegenD is ready to focus on what’s coming next. ‘There will be more chances.’
🇮🇹 #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/Tn1TZxAX3L
Sprint coach Marcel Kittel and co had marked the 3.6-kilometer mark, where the team was positioned well at the front. "We were at the crucial point 3.6 kilometers from the finish, but eventually fell a bit behind and were therefore involved in that crash."
"In the last 3.5 kilometers, we had to be at the front because the road was getting narrower and narrower," states Kopecky. "Things didn't go entirely well for us then either. Niklas (Larsen, ed.) did a good turn at the front, after which it was up to me. Kubis passed me on the bridge, which was actually way too early. Because I still had the chance. Then it was a bit chaotic because we swapped positions again."
Meanwhile, Groenewegen was no longer in the slipstream either. "I didn't see much of that, because I can't look back," says Kopecky.
"We need to look into that a bit, I think. And learn from that after the analysis," adds Kittel.
Kittel does not want to use the fact that the team leader crashed precisely in that narrower section as an excuse. "It was still 5 meters wide. Of course, 6 meters or 8 meters would be even better, but even then crashes have already happened. It has also been a very easy day, and there are many other things you could start a discussion about, as you could also see in the Scheldeprijs."
"I look at things other than what the final looks like," said the experienced sprinter. "The first of 21 days is over. Of course, you always hope for a good start and not a crash, but that is simply what happened today. We were focused, and I have no doubt that the guys really wanted it. We need to pick up the pace again," Kittel concluded.
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 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
- Martinez had a good year! 5th at the Tour was a great result for him, albeit largely through getting in successful breaks, but he held it better than Pidcock who’d done the same.Lozza14-11-2026
- guess what Valgren, you're 34, and no you're not good enough. sorry to say.mij14-11-2026
- I'm a sepp fan and like to think he earned that LOL, indulge me : ) I think Jonas was fine. Roglic did not want to concede to Sepp. and I don't think you ever attack your own teammate in the leaders jersey if he is holding his own, which Sepp just about was.mij14-11-2026
- enough time? he's 24 years old. He's won 10 races over the last 2 years and some are significant. I won't argue about his attitude being good - it needs to improve. But with some coaching and mentorship he has a lot of winning ahead of him and has plenty of time to win a GT. I don't think he will ever beat Tadej, but everyone else is fair game Look at Mas and Valverde - they were 31 and 29, respectively, when they won the Vuelta.mij14-11-2026
- Pogacar has a fine head on his shoulders.Careful investments and a couple of coffee shops sounds like a wonderful way to chill after an intense career.Stay healthy GOAT.
Brucegel14-11-2026 - I live in Maribor.PogiSloFans14-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment