Marcel Kittel takes first win in almost a year at Trofeo Palma

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Marcel Kittel (Katusha-Alpecin) took his first win in almost twelve months with victory in the Trofeo Palma - the final race of the 2019 Challenge Mallorca. The German was delivered to the line perfectly by his teammates, who had chased down an early break before Kittel won the sprint to the line ahead of Timothy Dupont (Wanty - Groupe Gobert) and Hugo Hofstetter (Cofidis).

The 30-year-old German sprinter had not won a race since taking two stages of Tirreno-Adriatico last March. Kittel moved to Katusha-Alpecin at the start of the 2018 season but struggled almost throughout due to a combination of illnesses and a lack of form. He abandoned the Tour de France in July after missing out on a stage win and eventually ended his season in late August.

On Sunday Kittel was unstoppable, hitting the front with over 125m to go and powering to the line to take the win by over a bike length.

"I'm very, very happy because this is more than just winning a race. For me it's also a little comeback after last year. Last year wasn't great and I had to struggle a lot. In the last few days I've felt that my legs are good and I'm very happy that I can give this victory to my teammates, and also the confidence that comes with it," Kittel said at the finish.

"The team did a great job the whole day. They protected me and we stayed together on the difficult moment on the climb. It's really good, and I'm very happy."

More to come...

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