Despite the fact that Marcel Kittel is now the dominant sprinter in world cycling, with 10 Grand Tour stages in the last two seasons, he has told CyclingTips he thinks the Tour de France route is hard and his Giant-Alpecin team may use John Degenkolb as leader to try and win the Green Jersey.

“I would say in general the 2015 Tour is pretty hard,” he tells CyclingTips. “There are a lot of difficult stages in it, even if there are still some opportunities for sprinters like me.”

“We need to sit down as a team and talk about different scenarios, about the possibility of the green jersey. If there is a chance for me to go there [to target that], it must be a plan that John [Degenkolb] and me agree on.”

“We will not start the race with both of us having the interest to go for that one green jersey. I think we are stronger if we divide our chances, as we did in the last two years, going more for stages than just thinking of winning the green jersey.”

Kittel may have taken six wins in Grand Tour stages in 2014, but he didn’t win a single WorldTour race outside of a grand Tour stage, which he wants to remedy in 2015. Although criticizing him for that is unfair to say the least.

“The main objective for 2015 will be the sprints,” he said. “I will of course try to do races on the highest level and to take as many opportunities as possible to go for the victory there. That means the Tour, and also in the stage races that come along the way to that race and also those afterwards.”

While ha may be the fastest, Kittel knows he has lots of rivals for the 2015 sprints, but rather than let that phase him, it motivates him and he is relishing the battles.

“I think there are going to be a lot of challenging sprinters and teams,” he predicts. “There are a lot more sprinters now who can go for the win. I think that is going to be a challenging year for everyone.”

“I am personally looking forward to it, but I am also curious that maybe someone new is coming. We have to wait and see.”

But there is a long road to the start of the Tour and for Kittel, this once again begins in Australia at the Tour Down Under, where he wants a stage if the opportunity arises, but says he there primarily for race days and to help his teammates.

“If an opportunity comes, I would like to go for a sprint but if not, I will support the team,” he said. “I am there just for some races.”

“I am really looking forward to Down Under as I know it is a race where there is absolutely no pressure. That for me is a really nice way to start into the new year, to get some race kilometres. Also, to be in the situation to have already some races when I come to Qatar. That race is really flat and, when it is not too windy, it should really be one for the sprinters.”

Kittel, while he hasn’t seen the course yet and will reserve his judgment until he has done so, does think that from what he has heard, the Worlds could be a goal in the USA.

“I heard about it in recent weeks, about the profile…that it is not too difficult. That is has cobblestones. I have no real idea how it will be. I still want to see the profile with my own eyes.”

“I can imagine making it a goal. However if it is a difficult course with a lot of altitude meters, then I would only see myself as support for John.”