Despite having been announced as one of the main sprint protagonists for next week's Tirreno-Adriatico, Marcel Kittel (Team Giant-Alpecin) will unfortunately not take to the start of the seven-day race. It's a blow for both the team and for Kittel himself who was very keen to get stuck into the sprint opportunities against a quality field in this prestigious Italian race.
 
"After the Tour Down Under I was hit with a virus and I actually never 100% recovered afterwards,” explained Kittel. “I felt good enough to start the Tour of Qatar but during the race I started to feel worse and worse so with the team’s guidance we decided to step off the bike for a while. It was a very busy preparation time for me towards the first races and together with the virus and overreaching I am forced to rest now. I should be back on the bike again soon but at the moment I still have to take it easy; the next step is to start building the training again and work towards my next goals this season. Of course I am disappointed, but my health and getting back into shape is the first priority now. There's still a long season ahead of us.”
 
Team physician Anko Boelens explained: "Marcel has never fully recovered from the virus that he picked up in the midst of a busy pre-season, and since then he has not been able to reach his normal performance level. Marcel was extensively examined and thankfully no major underlying health issues were discovered.”
 
It is a disappointment for both the team and Kittel as aiming for victory in the sprint stages at Tirreno was the first real target of his programme. For now, Kittel will work closely with the team’s medical and performance staff to ensure a slow but gradual return to normal training.